They Forgot About Us
by ACID35
Summary: They live in their perfect lives. Untouched by time and decay. They are ageless, and they grow weak with comfort. Them, vampires, have forgotten. They have forgotten why they must live in fear, why their lives are cursed. They've forgotten us.
1. Chapter 1

"Which hand?" Bella said playfully. Edward smiled gently and continued to gaze at the sunset, the two vampire's skin sparkling along with its gentle rays. "Come on Edward, which hand?"

"You know, even though you changed into a vampire you still act like such a human. Never sitting still for more than an hour…"

"Will you pick a hand?"

"Making up silly games…"

Bella held out her hands and smiled, "Will you please just pick one of my hands already."

"Why?" Edward asked playfully.

Bella shook her head, "Not telling."

"Oh, please do." Edward attempted to seduce Bella as best he could. Unfortunately, due to her changing into a vampire, she hadn't been too keen on being swoon anymore. Her will had grown strong, far stronger than Edward thought it would.

"Sorry Edward, but that old trick doesn't work on me anymore." Bella continued to hold her hands out in front of Edward. He laughed and sighed. Indeed, she couldn't be so easily smitten anymore. In fact, the tides seemed to have turned. No longer did Edward make Bella gasp, but rather Bella made his heart stop. Her beauty had been radiated tenfold what it used to be.

She stared at him now, that beautiful vampire, that girl with the lovely smile. Edward's wife, Bella, held out her hands like a child. She waited for Edward to play along with her game.

He did, reluctantly.

"Alright, I pick the right hand."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure Bella." Edward said gently. With a gentle laugh, Bella opened her right hand.

"Uh-oh sport, guess what you picked?"

"What?"

Bella smiled and caressed the side of Edwards face, "Come a little closer to see."

It had been seven years now. Seven years since their standoff with the Volturi. Now Edward and Bella rested peacefully near the sea side. Their daughter had made a habit of playing in the warm sun with Jacob. Edward stared outside the houses window, gazing dully at the horizon.

"Is this all?" He asked himself, "This is too perfect… life… isn't this good." Edward closed his eyes and tried to listen to the thoughts of his daughter, he picked her voice up.

_Maybe if I were a tighter shirt Jacob will notice me…_

Edward grumbled and shook his head. "Best leave her thoughts to herself." he walked over to the living room, there Bella sat practicing her vampire abilities.

_Too perfect _He thought staring at the beautiful women. _This is all, too perfect… _

Bella looked up at Edward and smiled, "Hey there." She said with a smile.

"Hey." Edward replied.

"You know what I was thinking." Bella continued to expand and retract her physic barrier as she spoke.

"What?" Edward asked curiously.

"We should go say hello to the folks, don't you think?"

Edward nodded, "I guess you're right. I can't remember the last time we've said hello to them."

"Try about a year ago." Bella said with a laugh. Edward turned around shocked, Bella nodded, "Yes I know it really doesn't seem that long at all."

"We should leave tonight then." Edward said quickly. Bella seemed surprised.

"Are, you feeling ok Edward?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… it's just… these last few days you've seemed really cut off from your emotions." Bella stood up and walked over to the strong man standing before her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, he returned her embrace. Both held onto each other tightly.

"Some things have been bothering me." Edward said gently. Bella nodded, continuing to hold her husband.

_Go on… _Bella thought. She knew Edward could hear her, she'd let down her shield enough so he could.

"Were you aware that our daughter has been hanging around Jacob?"

Bella cleared her throat.

"You were weren't you?"

"I don't like it anymore than you do… but the two were meant to be together. If Nessie wants to hang around him we can't stop her." Bella let go of Edward.

"Yeah, well your right about that… there is no stopping that girl. We should leave as soon as possible." Edward said again before turning to the exit of the living room.

"Something else is bothering you. I can tell." Bella said following him into the next room.

She was right, a lot of things were bothering Edward, far too many things. The separation from his family was a mixed batch of good and bad feelings. He had lived his entire life around them. Moving away with just Bella and Nessie certainly had its high moments, but at the same time he missed everyone else.

That wasn't the only thing bothering Edward. Ever since their standoff against the Vulturi things seemed, just so perfect, too perfect to be true. It made Edward uneasy, like a storm awaited just around the bend.

"Tell me what's wrong." Bella said following Edward as he made his way outside of their humble cottage.

The two entered a shiny afternoon in the middle of a forest cover near the seaside. Edward sighed and stopped, closing his eyes to listen to his daughters thoughts once again. He wasn't really that concerned about Jacob. He was more concerned about his daughter's safety. The way things were turning out, it was only a matter of time before something horrible struck a person close to him.

_I wish he would kiss me… I know he wants to. Why else would he look at me like that? Why won't the kiss me? So what if I'm young, I'll get older. Maybe if I…_

Edward left his daughters mind quickly. She was just fine.

"Nothing's wrong." Edward said calmly.

"Your lying." Bella replied.

"I am." Edward said with a smile. He turned to his lover. Her skin sparkled, her eyes made his heart leap.

"Please tell me." She said gently.

Edward laughed and shook his head. "I just… I feel like something bad is going to happen Bella."

Bella rushed towards Edward with blinding speed and covered his mouth. The force behind her hand knocked him to the ground.

"Don't jinx it!" She hissed. Edward laughed.

"What?"

"This. All of this Edward." Bella looked around at the forest. "This life, it's been so amazing. I don't want it to end."

"I know, it's been wonderful it's been…"

"Perfect!" Bella said happily. Edward frowned.

"I know…"

Perhaps Edward wasn't being positive enough. Why couldn't things be perfect? Why did there always have to be a problem. But, the hundred years of life told Edward otherwise.

_Because things are never perfect…_He thought to himself.

"You're right Bella. I don't want this to end either. Come on, let's find Nessie and head over to the family. I'm sure by now Alice has already seen us coming… no doubt Esme had made preparations."

Bella laughed a little. She loved Edward's family, they all cared so much. The two vampires held hands, and with smiles, they walked off to find their daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

Rain pelts,

Against the glass I think,

Hard to tell after all, what with those damn lights blaring in my eyes.

I can already smell them, their resting in their little holes like a bunch of rats.

"Nearly there." My driver says in a language I can't understand. I look over to my precious partner next to me, he as well is having trouble with the bright lights. We've spent too many nights rustling around in the dark. No matter, I came here to do a job, and the job I will do.

I peered at a box resting between my legs, its black polished exterior soothed my eyes. It would be night soon enough, I knew that. But I couldn't help but grow aggravated at the setting sun, at the coarse smelling cab driver in front of me, and at my partners overwhelming nostalgia. A man without as soul is what he seemed on a regular basis, a man deprived of what made a being human. Alas! I take back my statement, for he is apparently not human. That's what he tells me, it makes me chuckle. I suppose then he is a vampire, though, he has shown no signs of even being aware that they exist.

I myself, being one of them, found it particularly odd that this man requested to be so close to the Volturi, the strongest and oldest clan among the vampire realm. Yet, here he was, resting in a cab next to me, calmly awaiting for our driver to halt us at our destination. Unlike the man sitting next to me, I knew his grave was afoot. No doubt he was yet another vampire crazed maniac who had heard rumor that night stalkers dwelt in the area. Perhaps he wished to be bitten, to become one himself. Escape whatever meaningless and monotone life he had come from. This was the general case for most, the only thing out of place was the man himself.

He didn't seem like the run of the mill bat crazy lunatic, no, he was much too refined for such a title. To see him sitting there so calmly, it made me wonder if perhaps he truly was a vampire. He carried a few tell tale signs, and I nearly asked him several times if he was. Every time however, the Volturi's training came quickly back to me. I was never to address the issues of vampires to any outsider, no matter how genuine they looked. A good rule, one I would continue to follow even now.

Our smelly cab driver halted his vehicle and turned to me and my counterpart, "This is your stop gentlemen." He said calmly. I gave him a nod and looked over at the man and his brief case,

"Shall we go?" I asked him.

He smiled, "Yes." Was his reply.

We both stepped out of the vehicle, and covered our eyes from the setting sun. Our location was… well… classified to say the least. The only reason I had taken the young gentlemen beside me this far was because of his ignorance to the danger he now stood in. He walked slowly towards the Volturi's large complex, seemingly unaware of what waited inside.

Now as I recall it, I'm not entirely sure how this man managed to convince me to accompany him this far.

"So what are your plans for this trip?" I asked him as calmly as I could.

He turned to me, his eyes were so fiery with passion, they looked almost gold! "I just wanted to see this lovely area with my own eyes." He replied.

I chuckled slightly and looked around. What lovely area? We were in the middle of a abandoned factory wharf. The Volturi had moved here ever since their encounter with the newly found vampire uprising. I myself didn't attend such matters, but the group must have been intimidating for such a powerful vampire clan to move their home. Needless to say, the so called lovely area this man spoke of didn't exist.

"I have to say, you have a strange taste in scenery my good sir." The man didn't reply to my remark. Instead he walked steadily onward, directly towards the concealed doors which led to the Volturi.

"Why not change course?" I told him with slight hesitation in my voice. The man stopped and looked at me once again.

"Why?" He asked me calmly.

I still do not know why I wished to keep the man alive, perhaps I didn't want to see another human torn to bits by the strange sadistic leaders of the Volturi clan. In that moment I was determined by all means to keep the man before me safe from such a fate.

"It's… not the safest neighborhood around here. There is danger in the least expected places. Come, I know some areas that are much more interesting, and I know for certain they will suit your fancy." I tried to conceal my true intentions behind my words. I figured if the man agreed to leave I would take him to more local vampires, there he could meet them and truly see if this was the life he wanted. It was more than a fair trade, and I knew that the man before me was sharp. No doubt he understood what I meant, which is why his reply surprised me all the more.

"I like it here, I think will stay. Don't worry, if something terrible is to happen, which I'm sure it will, I can handle myself." The man's voice was calm and collected, he tightened his grip around the brief case he carried and gave me a polite smile.

"I think you don't understand just how dangerous it is here." I replied without hesitation. "If you continue… you will not survive." I broke a rule, I gave the human a sure warning. I couldn't help myself, he was refined and well mannered. It would be a waste for such a man to be killed so meaninglessly. As well, a part of me wished to drink his blood myself.

Again he simply smiled, "Don't worry my good sir. It will be fine, I will survive. That much I can assure you." Without another word he turned to the doors of the Volturi layer, and opened them calmly.

I did not follow him inside, and to this day I'm glad I didn't.

Because that day was the end of the Volturi.


	3. Chapter 3

The inside of the Edward's car was silent. His wife Bella sat beside him, smiling happily as she waited to see the Cullen's again. Behind them was their daughter Nessie, her arms were crossed and brow turned.

"I don't see why I have to go…" She said with aggravation. Both Edward and Bella knew she was upset because she had to leave Jacob. Though, neither parent dared to bring it up directly.

"The family will be happy to see all of us. The least you can do is be polite Ness." Bella said as she fixed her hair. Nessie mouthed her mother's words in annoyance as she continued to look out the window.

"They don't care if I come or not, their indifferent on the matter."

"That's not true." Edward said calmly as he continued to drive, "You know they love having you around."

_I wonder how happy they would be if they knew what me and Jacob have been doing… _Nessie thought to herself with a smirk.

Edward did his best to pretend as though he couldn't hear his daughters thoughts, he had promised her he wouldn't after all. Again the car fell silent, this time it held longer than before.

"Ness… how has Jacob been?" Bella finally asked. Nessie didn't respond, simply continued to peer out her window.

"Honey, your mother asked you a question." Edward stated looking at his daughter through his rearview mirror.

"He's fine." Nessie answered, "Can we not talk about him, like at all?"

Bella looked back at her daughter, "We just started."

"And I just finished it." Ness answered. Bella and Edward looked at each other, then at the road.

"As you can tell, this is going to be a fantastic trip." Ness stated with a sarcastic tone. Edward looked at her, his eyes filled with intimidation. Nessie no carried the beauty of her parents, they were after all vampires. Perfect beings, immortal, un-aging. Nessie however, was not. She was cast outside of the family line. Nothing made it more apparent then now, as Nessie stared back at her father. She had done everything in her power to differentiate herself from them. She'd dyed her hair a dark red, gotten a nose piercing, acquired green contacts to change her eye color, dressed herself with a defying statement. The end result only made her look like a rebellious teen, lost and searching for a home.

Her blood flowed warm, her parent's… cold. Her eyes steamed with passion willpower, theirs grew lazy with comfort and timelessness.

"How old are you now dad?" Ness asked him, still staring with contempt.

Edward looked at the road, then to his child, "Does it matter?"

Ness smiled, "No, it doesn't." She looked out her window, "It doesn't matter at all right? You'll never have to face death will you? You will be ageless, you will walk the streets of the earth as long as they remain."

Bella shook her head, "Such a poet, such a drama queen."

"At least I know where she gets it from." Edward said with a smile. Bella hit him on the shoulder playfully.

Nessie looked at them, somberness stretched over her face, "You two have your world, I have mine, it's as simple as that."

"We're a family Bella, we'll all be together forever." Edward said assuring as he could.

Nessie kept her eyes fixed on the passing road, "No… I won't."

The car was silent once more, and it remained so till they reached the Cullen's residence.


	4. Chapter 4

Edward stared at his old residence as they pulled into the Cullen driveway. The house had changed little since he last visited it. The outside had been kept up to par, no doubt it was Esme who'd seen to its constant repair. The three stepped out of their car, Nessie was the last to follow her family.

Bella looked over at Edward and smiled, "Things haven't changed much have they?" She asked him playfully.

Edward shook his head, "They sure haven't, almost exactly the same."

"Ageless." Nessie added with some contempt. Bella crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

Edward looked at them both and smiled gently, "Let's go inside, I'm sure Alice has already told them all we've arrived." They walked to the door, before they could knock Emmet opened it.

He looked the same as always, the only think that had changed was his hair. It was now cut shorter, just above his eyes. Still he was the strong vampire Edward had come to see as his brother.

"Nice seeing you two again." He said calmly. Emmet looked over Bella and Edward to see Nessie sulking several feet behind them. "She's growing up fast."

Bella smiled and greeted Emmet with a hug, "I know, almost more quickly then I know what to do with." The two laughed, Edward smiled.

"Where are the others?" He asked.

Emmet cracked his neck, "Out and about, you guys have come at a good time. I'm assuming you've heard then."

Bella looked over to Edward slightly confused, "Heard what?"

"You mean you two don't know?" Emmet asked scratching his head.

"Emmet, what's happened?" Edward asked.

Alice came behind Emmet and grabbed his shoulder, "They haven't heard, they've come just to say hello." She said calmly. "Hello Bella, Edward, it's good to see you two are safe."

"Safe?" Bella asked, "Why wouldn't we be safe?"

Emmet grunted, "Things have happened. Life changing for us vampires."

Edward felt a rush of anguish pull over him, so it had finally happened. He was correct, his perfect world could not last.

Nessie took a step forward, obviously interested in the news, "Where's everyone else?" She asked.

Alice smiled politely and waved them inside, "Jasper and Carlisle have gone scouting the area. Rosalie and Esme have gone to your old house to grab some extra supplies. Come inside, we have much to talk about."

She walked them over to the white and black decorated living room and sat them down. Emmet followed closely behind.

"So, what's going on?" Nessie asked plopping herself down on a couch opposite to her family.

Alice stared at Bella and Edward for a moment as they sat down next to one another, then spoke. "It's the Vulturi… they were found dead in their layer."

The room grew thick with silence, Bella's mouth dropped open, Edward let out a deep breath. Nessie laughed and shook her head.

"What does it matter? Those were the guys who wanted to take me away right? So their dead, someone did them in for us." Nessie let out a devilish smile, "Problem solved."

"Little more complicated than that." Emmet replied, sitting down next to Edward.

Bella tried to gain her composure, "They were so strong, how could someone have killed them? Was it another vampire clan?"

Alice shook her head, "I don't know… I… couldn't even sense it happening."

"That's also what has us concerned." Emmet stated.

Nessie raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Edward looked to his daughter, "Alice has probably been keeping a close eye on them. For her not to see their death… a prominent future… is a great concern to have. Do you think it was another vampire that blocked your vision?"

"It's possible. But they would have to be fairly strong to blot out my vision completely." Alice ran her fingers through her wild hair, "Personally, I don't think it could've been just one vampire."

"An uprising of many is more likely." Emmet stated.

The group fell silent. Nessie seemed to the only one who showed indifference toward the matter.

She stood up and stretched, "I still don't see why you're all flipping out. So an uprising took out the Volturi, they were pricks anyway. Now they're dead pricks, makes life a little easier for us don't you think?"

Edward looked at his daughter, "Ness… there's much more to it than that."

"Like what dad?"

Alice answered for Edward, "Nessie, someone powerful enough to destroy the Vulturi… is dangerous. Right now, they could be a threat to all vampires. We don't know who's side they are on."

Nessie fixed her hair and nodded slowly, "That makes a little more sense. Still, we'll just watch them, one rebel group can't take out the entire vampire race."

"They can pick at us though." Bella said, "Honey, we shouldn't take this event too lightly. If we had fought the Vulturi seven years ago, there's a chance many of us wouldn't be standing here today."

Edward nodded, grabbing onto Bella's hand gently, "They were formidable. Dangerous."

"Do you understand what we're saying?" Alice asked Nessie gently.

"So what your saying is that a bigger fish has come along we now have to worry about?"

Emmet let out a sigh, " More or less… if they're not on our side that is. Jasper is investigating all that now."

Alice played with her hair nervously, "They will be here momentarily."

"Hopefully things aren't as bad as we're thinking. Let's pray these guys just wanted the Vulturi dead and no one else." Edward stated looking to the front door of the Cullen household. "They're here."

As soon as he spoke, Carlisle and Jasper came through quickly. Their faces were sullen, that is until they saw Bella and Edward resting inside.

Carlisle was the first to speak, "Edward, Bella. It's good to see you two home safely!" He came over to them with open arms, "I was worried for a time." Jasper followed behind him. Bella immediately stood up and embraced Carlisle with a hug.

"Good to see you again as well. We've heard about the Volturi." She released him and looked over to Jasper, "What have you two heard?"

Carlisle sighed, "It is a shame that we had to meet on such terrible terms. I wish you had come sooner, we wouldn't have had to talk about all this upon your arrival."

"Time is short however." Jasper interjected, "So, we will need to stay on task for the time being."

Edward looked down at this hands. Was this his fault? Had he laid a curse upon his family? He knew that his thoughts were no more than guilt ridden superstition. Yet, he couldn't free himself from them.

Things are never perfect…

His words echoed through his mind. He had been correct, his world was shifting from a perfect fantasy, to this. He looked at his family in the room. They were all as beautiful as he, even Nessie. How could something like this have touched them? Vampires… weren't they the untouchable race?

"So… what have you found out?" Edward finally asked. He hoped that the Volturi were all who would die, deep down however, he knew that wouldn't be the case.

Jasper looked to Carlisle, who gave him an affirming nod, then spoke. "I went to go speak with some former vampires I knew from the past… in the street gangs… they have reported nearly forty percent of their numbers murdered or missing."

Everyone in the room let out concerned grunts, except for Nessie.

"Was it the guys who killed the Volturi who did the murders? Or just some other gangs?"

Jasper looked to her, "After investigating further, we went to the Volturi's area as well to speak to some vampires close to them. After hearing the description of their deaths… we can assume the murderers are one and the same."

"It seems these killers have only one target, vampires." Carlisle added, "We can assume that they are methodical and intelligent, picking off prime leaders of vampire gangs and clans to confuse the masses. Up to this point, their plan has worked perfectly. We haven't heard a thing about them. However, these killers have been cutting our numbers for at least four years."

"Four years?" Nessie said with some surprise. She laughed and looked over at Alice, "And even she couldn't see them?"

"Because I can't see them, we can assume their vampires themselves. Remember?" Alice said with some aggravation.

Edward shook his head, "It doesn't make any sense. Why kill your own kind…"

"Dad, you're an idiot. Humans kill each other all the time, this is no different. They obviously have some vendetta against vampires." Nessie said pacing back and forth some.

Jasper nodded, "It could be because the particular vampires in question were feeding off human beings… well… that's what we thought anyway. Until today's investigation."

Bella looked over at Edward, fear was beginning to pour over her face, "What did you two find?"

Carlisle shook his head and sighed, "More vampires dead, very close to home, friends of ours. They were like us, they only fed on animals. What's worse… we didn't just find vampires. The werewolves have reported in, two of their kin were murdered as well."

When Nessie heard about the werewolves, she froze. Her eyes grew wide, "You said, werewolves? Are they being tracked down as well?"

"Yes Ness… they are." Carlisle said walking over to her calmly, "I'm sorry to bring that kind of news to your ears but… it's the truth. Do you know where Jacob is?"

Bella and Edward looked at Nessie, slightly agitated about her and Jacob's relationship. Nessie dropped her eyes to the floor.

"He said… he'd be following me here. He wanted to see his family again, and make sure that I was safe."

"That's good. Hopefully he has caught up with his wolf clan, they should be able to inform him about what is happening." Carlisle hugged Nessie quickly, which caught her off guard. "By the way, it's good seeing you again, growing up so fast… I'm happy to see you're ok."

Nessie rolled her eyes and returned Carlisle's embrace, "Yeah yeah, good to be back old man."

Jasper smiled slightly and looked over to Bella and Edward, "It's important to take note however, that our killers patterns are damn near impossible to track. Believe me, I've tried. We all have actually. Alice has tried to pin point their location, Emmet and I have attempted to follow them by foot. But all we ever find is carnage. These men are precise and efficient, and they're using weapons unlike any I've seen."

Edward sat forward, trying to stomach everything he was hearing. "So, they don't fight the conventional way. What are they using? Swords?" It was the only weapon Edward could think of that would actually do some damage to vampire. Bullets had no effect on vampires, not even large rounds. They could poke a hole or make a dent, but nothing to stop a vampire from rushing forward.

"No, not swords… we… we don't know. The bodies, when we find them, are usually half disintegrated into ash." Jasper answered.

Emmet nodded slowly, Alice shook her head.

Bella clenched onto Edward's hands tighter, she looked him in the eyes. She was worried, he could see it. His entire family was worried, even Emmet. Carlisle walked into the center of the living room and smiled at his family gently.

"Everyone, this is a tough time for us. Truly it is. Because of that, we will have to take some measures some may not agree with." Carlisle looked to Nessie as he spoke.

She immediately caught his drift, "What the hell does that mean?"

"We will all be living together from this point on. Going out alone can result in death. We don't know where these killers are, or where they will strike. I do know however, that they are closer to us than ever before."

Alice nodded, "Yes, it is true." She looked over to Bella and Edward, "I'm sorry, but you two won't be able to return home. That's why we sent Esme and Rosalie to your old house, they will be coming back with some old clothes you left there. We can go and buy more later. For now those will have to do."

Edward and Bella nodded slowly, Nessie didn't seem to share their acceptance on the matter.

"Are you kidding me? You guys can't tell me what to do!" She screamed making a beeline to the front door.

"Edward stood up and ran in front of her with blinding speed, "You're staying honey." He said gently.

Nessie crossed her arms, "You're going to stop me? No offense but I don't need your protection dad! Jacob can take care of me."

"Oh no! You're not going to him at a time like this!" Bella hissed standing up from the couch. "We are staying together, as a family."

Nessie's eyes glared at her, "Family?" She turned to her dad and laughed, "Family? You call this a family?" she took a step away from all the vampires, shaking her head as she did so.

"This isn't a family, no… this isn't my family! I'm not one of you mom! I'm not a vampire, I'm not a human! I don't live forever, but I don't live like a human. I'm completely different, outside of anything… Why can't you people understand that?"

Carlisle looked to Edward and Bella, he and the others remained silent. This wasn't their quarrel.

Bella stepped forward, "Nessie, you may be different. But that doesn't mean we don't understand you, you're our daughter. You…"

"But you don't understand me! Look I know every teenager says this… but right now it's true! All you two ever do is talk about how much you love each other! Hell, you two still treat me like I'm some damn kid, news flash, I'm not! I'm getting old, I'm already having my damn period mom!" Nessie stopped and waited for her parents to reply, when they didn't, she continued with a smirk. "I guess you've forgotten about that to haven't you? In your perfect world things like that don't happen anymore right? Figures…" Nessie shook her head and pushed her dad out of the way.

"What protection do you think Jacob can give you that we can't?" Edward asked, sounding slightly impatient.

Nessie looked at him squarely, "Well… for one… he actually gives a damn about how I feel."

"Are you saying we don't love you?" Bella questioned rushing towards her daughter. Their eyes met, sadness came over Nessie when she saw how blank Bella's eyes were. Despite all her screaming, all her emotional outbursts, inside she was dull and dry.

"I'm looking at my mother…" Ness said softly, "But all I see in her eyes is herself, her own world, her own life, how she feels. I don't see me, I don't see care for others… just you."

"Ness… I love you." Bella said shaking her head. "You're my daughter."

"No mom, you love the idea of having a daughter, and having your perfect world, but you don't love me."

Edward placed a hand on her daughter's shoulders, "Nessie, you don't really believe that do you?"

The rest of the Cullen's stood silent, Esme and Rosalie had returned from Edwards old cabin by now. They, along with the rest of Edward's family, waited in silence as two parents and a daughter quarreled.

Nessie sighed, "Look… I know you do care about me to some degree. But it's so shallow. You never ask me anything remotely deep, you never spend actual quality time with me. You just say I love you, and that's it."

"Isn't that what family is about? Loving one another?" Bella asked.

Nessie stared at her for a long time, then finally spoke. "Mom, maybe in your perfect world that's enough, but not in mine. I guess I'm not cut out for this damn vampire life. I don't have millions of years to spare. I'm going with Jacob, and we're gonna do things our way. End of story." She patted her dad on the shoulder and smiled weakly, "See you two around."

Edward looked at Bella, who seemed dumbstruck by what had just happened. Before they had time to react, Nessie was gone. Out the door, and on with her own life.

"I… I can't believe what just happened." Bella said, dropping to the floor, "Our daughter…"

"Is gone." Edward said calmly, "It's her choice. In the end we can't stop her, she will have to discover if this is what she really wants."

"Am I that bad of a mother? That my own daughter would see some idiot boy as more of a savoir then me?"

Edward clenched his jaw in aggravation. "What Nessie said Bella, you may want to take to heart. Right now, I don't think this is about you."

"What does that mean?" Bella hissed shooting a glare at him, "Am I not allowed to say how I feel? My daughter just left me! Why is our perfect life coming to an end like this?"

It was at this point Carlisle thought it best to jump into the conversation, "Times are tough for everyone Bella, including you and your daughter. For now we will let her go, the rest of us will stick together and continue forward with what plans we have."

Bella clenched onto Edward. It had become a habit of hers, he was her fixation in times of stress, even if she was upset with him.

"I hate this…" She said weakly.

Edward hugged back, "I know honey. I do to." He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

So this is what is was like.

This, is what reality felt like.


	5. Chapter 5

Smoke was gently rising through the rain, it made its way through the canopy of the forest, and out into the sky, along with the howl of wolves. They had banded together, hunted down those who had killed their brethren. They found the murderer resting, and saw it best to kill him while he wasn't aware.

At least, when they thought he wasn't aware. The group had planned, waited, followed, observed. They had learned the murderers every step, every pattern. Then the time came. It was three weeks of tracking and knowledge all put into place. They plotted and struck when they saw their enemy most weak. The wolves came with speed, with their best formations, and with lethal cunning. The fight was theirs. That is what they thought.

Now the wolves rested, their eyes glazed over, blood flowing gently into the earth, their fur pelted with lazy rain drops falling from the sky. The wolves were defeated, like every other opponent, like every other challenger. What made them different? Their brotherhood? Their relationships? Their wives and children? Their family? Nothing made them different, nothing kept them from the large and gluttonous mouth of death.

Their defeater walked out from the bushes and trees, to an opened part of the forest. He stopped and stared lazily at the wolves, a long firearm rested in his hand. He stared, his golden eyes fixated on the newly found kill.

"Empty shells…" He said blandly walking over to one of the larger wolves. Its fur was completely black, he was the one who had led the clan in on the charge. The murderer smirked as he placed his large pistol into a holster on his side. "No different from the rest…" he pulled a knife from his belt and grabbed one of the black wolf's ears firmly. With a swift motion he cut it off and held it upwards.

"A small trophy." He looked down at the wolf and smiled, "To remember you and your pack." The murderer was a man who carried overwhelming nostalgia, a man of class and what seemed to be a directed apathy. The murderer fixed his well cut black hair, parting it to the side as the rain made it damp. The man then gazed down at his hand, at the black blood flowing through his veins. He clenched his fist and cleared his throat. "Still on my journey then…" The man turned to the dead wolves and smiled gently

"I was expecting more from all of you." He said dryly as he walked alongside the still corpses, "So much passion for your brotherhood. I knew you would wish me dead for killing your kin." The man stopped and allowed his eyes to rest on one of the younger wolves, "You even brought your children… well, rest then. Rest. Your time in this world has passed..." The man cracked his neck and let out a sigh. He reached into the pocket of his tailored pants and pulled out a cell phone. Before he had time to dial in a number there was a tap on his shoulder.

The man didn't look around to inspect who it was, he simply closed his phone lazily and spoke, "I was about to call you." He stated calmly.

A woman stood behind him. She, like him, seemed lost of any sort of emotion. "You took too long. Lore is worried."

The man smiled, "Let him worry."

The women caressed her ally's neck with long fingernails, "You keep up these personal games of yours and you'll make him angry Dacian."

The man, Dacian, turned to the woman and let his gold eyes rest on her. "What will he do? His anger is nothing more than gentle wind."

"Passing indifferently around you?" The woman smiled and gently fixed Dacian's hair, "So elegant with your words."

Dacian smiled and grabbed hold of the woman's hand. She was beautiful, much like every other vampire female, and like him she was as cold as ice. Devoid and ignorant of what many called emotion.

"Do you think we will be cursed for this?" Dacian asked her as he gazed off at the forever sleeping wolves, "To kill such beings like this, do you think we will be damned?"

"We already are, this is simply sport." The women answered looking at the fallen beasts herself. "Did they give you a hard time?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Did they catch you off guard?"

"No…"

"Did your body start to act up?"

Dacian turned to the woman, "No. Everything was fine."

"Then why did it take you so long to report back?" The woman pulled Dacian close to her, digging her nails into his back as she did so.

"I couldn't find him Vella." Dacian answered.

"The one they call Jacob?" Vella inquired. Dacian nodded slowly and pulled away from her. He sighed and fixed his dress shirt.

"It would seem, that there may be a few wolves still alive."

Vella crossed her arms and moved her long black hair out of her eyes, "Did they escape you?"

"They weren't even here."

Vella walked slowly towards Dacian with a coy smile, "Lore said if you were to show signs of failure again, we were to give you aid."

"I don't need it." Dacian said blandly, "This is how I work, I've never failed. Why is Lore suddenly interested in my performance?"

Vella walked over to one of the dead wolves and gently caressed its fur, "It's his nature, the vampires seem to be growing aware of us."

"It means nothing." Dacian said calmly.

Vella nodded, "Perhaps… perhaps not. The Vulturi were our calling card Dacian. We've gone public. There can't be any mistakes now."

"I will find Jacob, it won't be a problem." Dacian said calmly. He looked at Vella's hand as her fingers dug into the wolf's fur, "Don't treat them like dogs, they are more than just animals, they are men. Give their bodies some respect."

Vella immediately stopped caressing the dead body before her and shot her eyes up, "Jacob knows where the Cullen's are… Lore wanted him found."

"Lore wants the world, he is a fool."

"Careful Dacian." Vella said with a giggle, "You don't want to make anymore enemies than you have already."

"By my hand these have died. I am the sword of Lore, without me he is nothing."

Vella let out a cackle and shook her head, "Dacian… you are… different. I will delay my report to Lore, I hope you finish your task by then. What do you plan to do now?"

Dacian began to walk away from the battle sight into the brush of the forest, Vella followed behind him quickly.

"The Cullen's are not far from here." He stated blandly, "I will go to them next."

"Are you sure?" Vella asked him playfully. Her purple eyes met his gold ones. The two stopped walking. They stared at each other in silence, Vella attempted to smile. Her coldness made it hard to do so. Still, she felt something for him, something for Dacian. With what little emotion she did carry that is. Both Dacian and her knew this. His interest however, was only in his job. He did not return her yearning gaze, instead Dacian yawned and turned his attention the forest.

"How many times have I told you not to look at me like that?" He asked blandly.

"Still so cold." Vella said with some contempt. She waited for Dacian to reply, when he didn't she let out a sigh, "How do you know they're close."

"The women in their town told me." Dacian said blandly. He let out a devilish smile and looked over to Vella, "They were quick to talk when they heard their precious wolf clan was in death's clutches."

Vella licked her lips, "You've already silenced the wolf village then?" She asked still following Dacian through the woods.

"Yes." He replied calmly.

"Every last one?"

"The only two left are Jacob and his counterpart… Seth I believe is what they call him."

The two made their way out of the woods and onto a worn road. The rain gently hit against the cracking asphalt, Dacian stopped and stared off into the distance.

Vella walked up behind him and spoke, "So, we have found them. When can we expect the Cullen's to be dead my love?" Vella pulled out her phone as she spoke, Dacian turned to her.

"Tomorrow. They will be dead tomorrow."

"And then what?" Vella asked. Their eyes met once more.

" Hopefully…" Dacian let out a breath and looked at the black veins in his arms, "Some peace…"


	6. Chapter 6

Nessie walked quickly down the old street which took her away from the Cullen's house. She always felt liberated when she left the presence of her parents, this was no exception. Nessie could use her super speed, if she wanted to. However, doing so may draw unwanted attention from the vampire killers.

Nessie was no fool, she knew full well that the vampire slayers could be watching her at any turn. There was however, one advantage she had over her family, she was half human. Her blood ran warm, her skin carried a normal hue. If Nessie was discreet about using her powers, there was a great chance the vampire slayers would never catch her. She didn't have to worry about being hunted like her parents. That was their world, not hers. She could find Jacob now, the two of them could run off together. She would warn him about the newly found killers, yes, they would get away from all this! Jacob had told her where to meet him, on top of a cliff face near his old village, Nessie would go there and her life would be happy at last.

She walked as quickly as she could, adjusting her hair and fixing her clothing while she did so. Thankfully the rain wasn't pouring nearly as hard as before, Nessie couldn't stand where the Cullen's lived. Always raining, always dark and dreary. Just like them, a dull and dreary family. No, that wasn't a fair description… her _parents _were dull and dreary. Nessie thought about them as she walked, perhaps she had been too harsh with what she had said before leaving. They had kept her safe after all, was it their fault for not treating her like a normal child? She wasn't normal, she was special, Nessie knew this. A sudden feeling of anguish and homesickness poured over her. The feeling was strong enough to make her turn around for a moment.

"Should I go back?" She whispered to herself. A car horn blared off in the distance, the only evidence of civilization Nessie had heard in a long time. They would take her in again, Nessie knew this. They would have open arms upon her return, she could go back to her safe bubble once again.

Nessie laughed and shook her head, "Why am I even contemplating this?" Nessie hated being with her parents, why couldn't she pry herself from them? Perhaps it was because of their perfect little world. Despite its major flaws… it was still a safe haven. Nessie started to pace nervously. It only took her a moment before she finally came to a decision. A decision which wrapped its arms around her.

It was Jacob, his burly arms enveloped Nessie and caught her off guard.

"Surprise." He whispered playfully.

Nessie responded to the surprise embrace by throwing Jacob over her shoulder with all her might, "Get off me!" She shrieked. Jacob's body hurtled into the ground, causing the asphalt to splinter and dent. He let out a grunt as his head rocked against the earth's hard surface.

"W-who are you working for?" Nessie stammered, thinking that she had been attacked by one of the vampire slayers.

Jacob looked up at Nessie with an eyebrow raised, "What are you talking about Ness?" He asked. Upon seeing that she had just thrown her beloved Jacob, Nessie immediately placed her hands over her mouth.

"Oh crap! Jacob I'm so sorry! You… you scared me…"

Jacob laughed and stood up from the ground, "I can tell."

"Are you hurt?" Nessie asked him weakly.

Jacob shook his head, "No. It takes a little more than that to put a dent in me." He said playfully, his cocky attitude made Nessie laugh.

"Your such a showoff Jacob… even when I throw you around like a ragdoll." The two laughed and hugged one another. Nessie closed her eyes as Jacob embraced her, it felt good to feel the warmth of another person again.

"I missed you." She said softly.

Jacob nodded, "I can tell."

The two were more than a pair of teens falling for their emotions. Jacob had imprinted on her, they had known one another since Ness's birth. They were best friends, their personalities bounced off one another almost perfectly. It was for this reason that Nessie cared for Jacob so much, he actually listened to her, actually understood what she was going through.

"How did the meeting go?" Jacob asked her calmly.

Nessie shook her head and hugged him tighter, "Awful, just completely awful."

"Wow, for once you're actually serious." Jacob placed a hand on Nessie's head, "What happened?"

"To much." Nessie said weakly. "There's… apparently… some sort of vampire slayers around or something."

"Vampire slayers? You mean like Buffy or Van Helsing? That kind of stuff?"

Nessie shook her head again, "No you big idiot, something much more serious than that. Like… ugh… I can't even explain. I don't fully understand myself. Apparently they killed the Vulturi."

Jacob let her go, the two stared at each other. By now they had learned how to read one another without even speaking. Jacob could see the concern and fear in Nessie's eyes, something he didn't find in her normally.

"This is pretty serious." He said calmly, "How did you find that all out? Did… oh what's her name… Alice tell you?"

"No, Alice didn't even see the deaths coming. I guess someone warned them, and then they started to like investigate the whole deal so… then we came and they told us what they know."

Jacob walked Ness over to the side of the road and sat her down. "What do they know Ness?" He asked her calmly.

Nessie rolled her eyes and looked down the road, "Come on Jacob not you to… don't get all serious on me right now."

"Now's a good time to get serious." He replied. "What do they know?"

Nessie looked at him, his face melted any sort of anger and aggravation she had inside her, "Well… I guess they've already been killing off vampires for about four years."

"Four years?"

"Yeah, that's what I said." Nessie curled herself up in a little ball, "It didn't seem like that big of a deal you know… I could get away… you and I could run Jacob." She looked up at him again and smiled, "What do you say?"

Jacob gently caressed the side of Nessie's face, "Oh Ness…" He whispered. Nessie continued to stare at him, he was enough to calm her. She knew that life wasn't as simple as just running away, she knew that it wouldn't be as simple as acting like a human for the rest of her life. She didn't know how to live like a human being; she didn't know what it meant to earn a living outside of using her powers. Nessie also knew that Jacob didn't know what real life was like either. They were both creatures outside of the real world.

But they could try couldn't they? Jacob was a strong man… he could take care of her. Whenever she looked into his eyes she yearned to get away and start over. Despite what she knew about the world, despite knowing that their chances of success were slim, she still wanted to try.

"Please Jacob." She said as he continued to caress her face, "Let's just get out of here." By now water dripped down the sides of her face, the rain had turned into a dull drizzle once again.

"What about your family? They will be hunted won't they?" Jacob asked gently.

"I don't care what happens to them." Nessie replied weakly.

"What about your mom and dad Ness?"

"What about them?"

"What happens if they die Ness?"

There was a long silence, Nessie covered her face with her hands and stood up. She let out a groan of aggravation and shook her head.

"I can't take this." Jacob let her have space to pace, "I can't take all of this pointless drama! My parents… gosh Jacob…. I don't care what happens to them. I mean I do but… that's their life alright? Not mine, I'm not one of them. They don't treat me like one of them. So let's just not worry about it."

Jacob crossed his arms and let out a sigh, "Look Ness… I know your relationship with your parents, I know it's strained. And as you know… I definitely know your parents." He laughed and shook his head, "Boy do I know your parents."

"Let's not even bring up you and my mom ok?" Nessie said with some laughter.

Jacob nodded, "Agreed. But listen, what you're saying right now is a big decision. So I'll say this out loud right now. If you want to go, we'll go. We'll head back to my town, we'll get some provisions and we'll leave. We won't be a part of this world anymore, if that's really what you want. But if we leave, we won't be able to come back for a long time. Not until this… whatever this is… is done and over with."

Nessie and Jacob stared at one another, both already knew Nessie's decision, but Jacob continued to talk anyway.

"We will leave your entire family, your entire world. Everything Ness… is that really what you want?"

Nessie walked over to him and smiled gently, he smiled back. "You already know my answer don't you?"

Jacob laughed, "Yeah, I do."

"Then let's get going."

Jacob nodded, "Alright, then we go." He stretched out his arms and took off his shirt. Nessie raised an eyebrow when he did so.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

Jacob looked at her surprised, "What does it look like? I'm going to transform so you can ride on my back, like we always do."

Nessie laughed, "Are you kidding? Didn't you just hear what I said? Put your clothes back on. They could be watching."

"Wait…. Wait you said they were hunting vampires. What does that have to do with us?" Jacob grabbed his shirt at stared at Nessie, the two exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Didn't… they tell you?" Nessie asked him weakly.

"Didn't who tell me what?"

Nessie felt her stomach turning over, he still hadn't heard about the wolves who were killed, "The slayers… aren't just aiming for vampires. Jacob… they've…"

Jacob's happy persona faded all at once, "What have they done?" He lunged forward at Nessie and grabbed her shoulders gently, "Nessie… did they kill…"

"Wolves? Yeah… they did."

"How many?"

"Two that I know of."

Jacob let out a scoff and shook his head, he released Nessie and took a few steps down the old road. Nessie could feel her eyes watering up, "I'm sorry… I should've said something sooner."

"Yeah, maybe you should have." Jacob said with some slight impatience, "But… it's alright. I know you didn't want me to panic… you probably were having a hard time digesting that information yourself. Is that what's been eating you?"

Nessie did her best to cover up her tears, she nodded slowly. Jacob looked at her and let out a sigh.

"This just hasn't been your best week has it?" He asked her playfully.

Nessie let out a short laugh and smiled at him. Jacob always knew how to keep her in a good mood, even in the hardest situations.

"What should we do now?" Nessie asked him, doing her best to keep her composure.

Jacob put his shirt back on and walked to Nessie's side, "We need to go back to my village. I have to know what's going on. I have to see… well… who's passed on I guess."

"Ok, sounds good." Nessie said with a nod and sniff.

Jacob looked at her, "Alright, unfortunately you're going to have to walk though."

Nessie couldn't help but laugh. The two walked together, side by side, down the long stretch of road which led to Jacob's old village.

Nessie and Jacob were silent, struck with shock when they came to the wolf village. When the two laid their eyes on the burning town and charred corpses, neither could bring themselves to move. Nessie felt like she was in a dream, how could this have happened so quickly? She had only heard about these slayers a few moments ago, and they had already destroyed the wolves? No, they couldn't have gone that easy, there was no way… right?

Nessie walked towards the village, her legs shaking as she did so. Jacob grabbed her wrist quickly.

"No…" He said weakly. Nessie looked at him, he was trying his very best to keep his composure, but Nessie could see the tears welling in his eyes.

Ash fell from the gray sky, it came down with the rain. The once warm and sunny beach now looked like a wasteland, a desolate gray graveyard. A moment of silence passed between Jacob and Nessie, neither spoke for some time. They simply watched, watched as burned homes collapsed under their own weight, watched as rain dampened the multitude of singed bodies. This was the might of the vampire slayers, to this point it had never been so prominent in their eyes.

Nessie moved her soaking wet hair to one side and looked over at Jacob. His eyes were completely fixated on his burning home.

"Jacob…" She said weakly. Jacob didn't respond, he didn't move, he just kept on staring. "I know this must be hard on you…" She continued with a quivering voice, "But, they could still be here… we should…"

Jacob shot his eyes at her, "You're right." Immediately he threw off his shirt and transformed into a wolf.

"Jacob don't!" Nessie begged, it was too late however, Jacob took off into the smoldering village. He was looking for revenge, looking for those who had killed off his family.

He didn't know what he would do if he found them, no, he knew exactly what he would do. The question was, could he be able to smite them? If they were still around… could Jacob defeat them? Nessie used her speed to keep up with Jacob as he trudged around the remains of his town frantically. He kept his eyes open for survivors, for enemies, for anyone. A part of him hoped that the damage wasn't nearly as bad as it looked, another part of him wished he could find the killers still walking around the remains. He scampered this way and that, smelling the ground, listening carefully to any sounds omitted in the area. Nothing came to him, nothing awoke his senses. The town was silent, completely and utterly silent. There were no scents in the air, there were no sounds echoing in the distance. Jacob walked in a twilight of destitute and defeat.

It was the utter hopelessness he felt which made his body come to a halt. Jacob found no one, no slayers, no survivors. All he found was death, ash, and darkness. He looked to the ground in despair, he could feel his heart aching with pain. It was in this moment of anguish when Jacob finally came to terms with reality.

"My life is over…" He said with remorse, "They are all gone… I am the last wolf."

Ness came to his side, and shuddered at his words. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She simply sat beside Jacob, his defeated eyes turned to hers.

"They're gone…" His mind called to Ness.

She nodded, doing her best to control her emotions. "They're in a better place."

"Are they? Are they really?" Jacob asked her steadily, "How can we know? I always thought this place to be a safe haven… that… was a certainty in my mind. Now look, look at what it's become." Jacob's eyes peered over his burnt home, Ness clenched her teeth.

"It'll be ok." She said weakly. Ness didn't believe her own words, she knew full well Jacob didn't either. But neither said anything, they simply sat, pondering what they would do next. A simple question now hovered in both of their minds, could they really leave? Jacob would certainly be hunted from this point on… he was after all one of the last wolves of his pack. Would they ever find peace now?

Jacob let out a howl, and then returned to his human form. He stood slowly, and looked over to Ness. Their chance for a peaceful life had passed, their opportunity of escape was no more. Each would now have to face the harsh reality before them, together they would now have to live the life of prey being hunted.

The two stared. Knowing full well what the other thought.

"We can't leave." Jacob stated calmly.

"I know." Ness replied.

"We will have to go back, and find your family now Ness."

"I know." She replied again.

Jacob let out a sigh, and did his best to cover up his emotions, "We… will have to live through this Ness…"

She looked up at him, hands shaking, and replied, "I know.


	7. Chapter 7

Bella laid in the back of the car while Carlisle drove his family south. They didn't know where they would be going exactly, the Cullen's only mission at this point was to unite with other vampires, and hopefully put an end to the killings. The vehicle was sullen however, and carried no vibrancy whatsoever. All eight of the Cullen's had packed together in one van, it was safer to travel like a human now. All had agreed that to use any powers would be a major risk. They would all do their best to act as human as possible, even when it seemed they were alone. Alice no longer tried to read into the future, since her powers seemed completely nullified. For the first time in centuries the Cullen's now walked with doubt in their hearts. They had always had a plan up to this point, even when things were at their worst the Cullen's had always had some way to battle it.

Now, against such a foe however, they had no plan. All the Cullen's had was hope, each other, and nothing more. Edward sat next to Bella in the back of the car, he looked outside at the rain crashing down onto the forest. His wife's head rested in his lap, she was curled in a little ball. The hardships had already defeated her, and now Bella had put all of herself onto Edward. She expected him to lead her through this, Edward knew this well already. The pressure was finally starting to become daunting to him.

"We should be out of Washington soon." Carlisle said calmly, "Once this van's taken us to a more populated area out of state, we'll find an airport and try to fly to somewhere safer."

"What about sunlight?" Jasper asked him.

Carlisle nodded, "We'll move at dusk and nightfall. Just remember never to use any of your powers, and we'll be alright."

Edward looked at his father, "Do you think these people can sense where we are? If we use our powers?"

The large van clunked over something on the road, Carlisle did his best to keep control of the vehicle and looked into his rearview mirror, "Better safe than sorry." He stated calmly. Edward nodded in agreement.

Alice sat opposite to Bella in the back, in front of them Emmet, Rosalie, and Esme sat. In the front seats Jasper and Carlisle rested, keeping their eyes placed on the road, watching for any surprise attacks.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bella said weakly, grabbing one of Edward's hands, "We've left our daughter behind."

"She wanted to go. We couldn't have stopped her." Edward replied.

"Why did she leave me? What did I do wrong?" Bella shook her head, "I'm her mother…"

Alice looked at Bella with pity, but quickly retracted her gaze. They were all hurting inside somewhat, but none of them had lost their child like this.

"Honey, I know this is hard. But we've got to focus on what's happening right now. We are being hunted, Ness will be fine… she is nearly impossible to tell apart from regular humans." Edward said, attempting to calm Bella down. His attempt failed, she shot a glare at him.

"How can you say that? We've got focus on what's happening now? Why? Do you want my attention? Is that it? You never cared about Ness, did you? You assumed since you were a vampire you would never have to care for a child right?" Bella sat up from Edwards lap, "Why do you have no remorse for what's happened?"

Edward looked at Bella, slightly shocked by what he was hearing, "Bella… listen to what you're saying. Of course I love our daughter! But right now if we don't survive…"

"Damnit Edward! You're not even listening to what I'm saying are you?"

Esme looked back at Bella and gently interjected, "Bella, no one is our enemy here. Please try to calm down."

Bella at her with contempt, "We're having a discussion right now, just husband and wife."

"Bella." Edward said with some aggravation, "She is just trying to help, don't go turning this into something bad. Right now all we have is each other."

Both Rosalie and Alice had turned their attention to Bella and nodded in agreement.

"We're here for you Bella, please try to relax." Rosalie said to her gently.

Bella shook her head, "This is coming from the woman who envied me since the day I came into your house."

"Bella, that's enough." Edward said with a sharp tone. It was at that Bella let out a scoff and relented from her verbal attacks. Rosalie looked at her in shock, as did Alice. It was obvious that tension was now beginning to build in the Cullen household. Once again the car went silent. Bella shifted away from Edward, and did her best to avoid eye contact with the rest of the Cullen's.

"I'm sorry everyone." She stated blandly, "I'm not myself at the moment."

"None of us are." Alice said politely. Everyone nodded in agreement, then went back into silence. The car bumped along the road, rain pelted against its glass, and the feeling of uncertainty mounted with every passing moment.

"Bella." Carlisle called from the front of the car gently.

She looked to him, his eyes in the rear view mirror calmed her, "What?" She replied.

"Ness will be alright." He said gently, "She has a chance for a new life. They can't find her because she isn't like us. Isn't that something you want?"

Bella sat in silence, doing her best to conceal her emotions, what emotions she had. That was one thing Bella did miss about being human, her feelings were so much vibrant. Now, even in her most extreme of sorrow, Bella couldn't draw a tear. Not one tear for her daughter.

"I do want that for her." She stated calmly, "But I also want to be with her… I want to know she's safe."

Carlisle nodded, "She's young, but despite that her life will always be her own. Bella, understand that she will always be different from you, from us. In a way, what has happened was unavoidable."

Bella's eyes were engulfed with shock, but Carlisle's words were true. Nessie had always been different, Bella knew this. She also knew that with each passing year the gap between her and her daughter mounted. Bella nodded slowly.

"It's just so hard."

"What is?" Carlisle asked.

"Seeing her go like this, knowing that I can never understand her. Knowing that I will never be able to feel what she feels, because of what I've become." Bella shook her head, aggravated with herself. Edward looked at her with sorrow and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Being a vampire has it's tolls…" Carlisle said calmly, "As time passes you will find that out more and more Bella. The perfect world of the vampire is nothing more than a myth. All of us here, have seen that in some way."

Bella looked at the vampires sitting around her, and for the first time she could see the sadness each one carried in their eyes. The perfect world she thought that awaited her, was an illusion. How could she have not foreseen this? There is no such thing as a perfect life, and now she understood that.

Carlisle continued to speak, his voice still completely calm, "We are isolated from the world Bella. We cannot feel what humans feel, as years pass, we can no longer understand who they are. What you are experiencing now is what we all have experienced at some point in our lives. You are beginning to see the distancing that all us vampires must face. Our emotions run on a different level, the way we think is altered by what we become."

"So, I will never be able to understand Ness? My own daughter?" Bella's voice was nowhere near as calm as Carlisle's, it shook and had unsteady rhythm. Carlisle gazed into her eyes once more.

"Perhaps Bella… the bond between a daughter and mother can overpower the barriers between us and the others."

With that, Bella turned away and looked to the window behind Edward. _I'm sorry… _She said in thought to him. Edward nodded gently and kissed her on the forehead. Bella felt slightly better, as much as a vampire could, but now a part of her had changed. She was no longer innocent to the truth about what she was. Bella was a vampire, and forever and outsider to the life of the living.

This truth, little to Bella's knowledge, was about to bring itself into full force.

Carlisle returned his eyes to the road, as did Jasper. When they did they found an obstacle resting a few yards in front of them; a man, a finely dressed man, holding what seemed to be a large hand pistol. Jasper's eyes widened, Carlisle hit the brakes of the car immediately. As he did Jasper turned around to his family in the back and screamed,

"Hold onto something!"

Before anyone could react the front of the car was engulfed in fire, pieces of car metal splattered into the air and flung themselves at the vampires. The car jumped upwards six feet, twirling as it did so. Bella's head rocked against the seat in front of her, she felt metal shrapnel pierce her chest and legs.

The car crashed against the road on its side, glass spattered, the car rolled twice before picking up into the air slightly again.

The finally dressed man, Dacia, smiled with content as he watched the car hurtle itself across the road. He smiled as it smashed into the earth and flung itself into the air once again. Dacia raised his weapon, and fired once more. The end of his barrel lighted up as it sent a charge into the center of the Cullen's van, tearing it apart with a giant explosion.

"Our battle begins." He stated calmly, watching two pieces of the car flail in opposite directions. Several of the Cullen's were flung from the interior of the van, including Bella herself. Their bodies crashed against the wet road, they flailed like ragdolls until coming to a horrifying halt.

The two pieces of the car lay several feet from one another, rain began to douse the flames of the explosions quickly. Rosalie rested, slightly dazed, with her back against a tree. The force of the blast had hurtled her a great distance from where the van had come to a halt. She could hear heavy footsteps walking towards her, splashing in the many puddles of rain.

"You are a Cullen, no?" She heard a voice ask her.

Rosalie's eyes were in a fog, and found it impossible to focus on anything. Regardless, she knew that something wasn't right, and would need to move as quickly as possible. She tried to stand, but found the task impossible.

"Don't worry about moving." The voice said to her calmly, "You'll find it very difficult to do so, being pierced onto a tree and all."

Rosalie stopped, terror spread over her body. She moved hands down her stomach to inspect what was keeping her from moving, and felt a large tree branch resting in her lower abdomen.

"Game over." The voice said.

"Why can't I see?" Rosalie asked with a shaking voice.

"Radiation." The voice answered her.

By now the rest of the Cullen's were beginning to regroup, but it was Emmet who was the first to spot Rosalie, and the man standing over her.

"Your name is Rosalie… is it not?" The man asked her calmly, pulling back the hammer on his weapon and cracking his neck.

Rosalie's hands were shaking, she heard the man arm his weapon. Emmet immediately went into a sprint to aid her.

"Y-yes…" She replied.

The man smiled, "Good." And without hesitation, raised his weapon and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot cracked in the air, Emmet halted in his tracks when he saw Rosalie turn into a vapor of ash.

"Ross!" He screamed in peril.

The man, Dacia, laughed and looked over at Emmet, their eyes met. "Does that get you fired up?" He called out to him, "She was your partner, no?"

Emmet clenched his teeth, his eyes were filled with fury. Dacia smiled at him and took a step forward, crushing the burned carcass of Rosalie as he did so.

"How will you attack I wonder…" Dacia said with some curiosity.

"You're a dead man…" Emmet growled, "A dead man!"

Dacia laughed and adjusted his hair, "I'm already dead." He said with a smile.

Emmet roared and prepared to lunge forward, but before he could he felt a strong hand hold him back. It was Edward.

"Emmet calm down!" He shouted holding back his brother back.

"He killed her!" Emmet yelled, trying to free himself from the grasp of his brother.

"You'll be dead to, if you don't start using you head!" Edward shouted back at him. Jasper ran towards Edward and his brother quickly.

"Edward, Carlisle has the girls together, we're going to get moving now! Where's Rosalie." As Jasper spoke, he looked around quickly, and spotted Dacia standing before him.

"Rosalie is resting." Dacia said with a dull voice, "As will you." He raised his pistol and fired as Jasper.

Jasper's instincts took over quickly and moved him out of the blasts way. The bullet however, moved faster than Jasper was used to, and grazed his arm.

"Ahh!" Jasper clung to his shoulder quickly.

Edward looked over at him, "What happened? Are you alright?"

"His bullets actually hurt! Aghh." Jasper dropped to the ground, Edward looked in horror as he saw Jasper's arm slowly start to turn black.

"Impossible…" Edward mumbled.

Emmet felt his brother release his grip and took the opportunity to escape him. He broke free from Edward and lunged at Dacia with all his might.

"You're dead!" He screamed raising his hand to strike at his enemies face.

Dacia quickly turned his weapon on Emmet and fired, Emmet dodged it with ease and struck at Dacia's throat. The power of his blast sent the slayer flying into a nearby tree, which shattered on impact. Dacia slammed into the ground and quickly fell out of sight.

While Emmet fought, Edward helped Jasper to his feet, "Are you alright?" He asked him.

"My arm… I… I haven't felt pain like this in a long time." Jasper managed to blurt out.

Edward looked to Emmet, he knew that his brother would need his help soon, "Tell Carlisle to take the girls out of here. Emmet and I will try to fight this guy off."

Jasper looked at Edward with concern, "This guy… he isn't normal Edward."

Edward nodded slowly, he knew what his brother was telling him. This slayer, he wasn't going to be an easy kill. He wouldn't be like fighting another vampire or wolf. His every movement was dangerous.

"I know." Edward replied as calmly as he could. The two stared at each other for a time, the rain began to fall harder.

Dacia emerged from a pile of lumber, the sound of the shifting logs caught Edwards attention. Jasper patted him on the shoulder.

"Go, we'll be waiting for you two when you get back to us."

Edward nodded, "Will do. Now get going!"

Jasper bolted off towards the other Cullen's, clenching his blackening arm as he did so. Edward ran after his brother Emmet and Dacia, who again had locked in hand to hand combat.

Surprisingly, Emmet did not have the upper hand. He would strike at Dacia with all his might and strength, and be countered every time. His motions were wild, filled with fury, and yet every moment was blocked and disrupted by Dacia's graceful poise.

"Is that the best you can do?" Dacia asked Emmet calmly as he blocked a flurry of his strikes and sent a bone crushing kick to Emmet's knee. His leg collapsed under him, Dacia smiled and sent several strikes to the large vampire's head. Emmet's body flung several feet in the air, and passed Edward, who quickly rushed towards Dacia.

"Round two?" Dacia asked with a smile, dodging Edward's first strike with ease. He slipped past one of Edwards slashes and grabbed his arm. With two steps he shifted his weight, and flung the young vampire over his shoulder. Edward's body crushed into the ground beneath him, causing him to let out a grunt. Dacia smiled and jumped back, allowing his opponent time to get to his feet.

While Edward slowly stood, Emmet sprung from behind Dacia. His movements weren't quick enough however, Dacia pivoted with ease, and sent a flurry of fists into the vampires stomach. Dacia swiveled this way and that, before finally catching Emmet off balance and throwing him to the ground violently.

"Disappointing." Dacia said with a yawn walking casually away from Emmet. Both brothers sprung up from the ground quickly, and encircled Dacia. "Is this truly the best you can do? The so called Cullen's? I thought you were the ones who defeated the Vulturi? Ah, yes… I remember now… that wasn't you was it? No, that was me." Dacia let out an evil smile and cracked his neck, "I defeated the ones you feared."

"Let's do this together." Edward called to Emmet before taking a few steps towards Dacia. Emmet nodded and followed, closing in on their opponent from behind.

"Working together finally? Do you think you'll be quick enough?" Neither Edward nor Emmet answered Dacia, they simply closed in on their enemy.

As quick as bullets they struck Dacia, Emmet from the back, Edward from the front. They raised their claws, ready to slice into his flesh. Unfortunately, with some fancy footwork, Dacia managed to avoid both Edward and Emmet. Not only avoid them however, but also manage to guide Emmet's claws into his own brother. Dacia slipped to the right of the two with blinding speed, smashing both their sides with thundering blows. Emmet was the first to come tumbling to the earth, Edward was second, flung back by his brother several feet away from the battle.

Dacia walked over to Emmet, who convulsed on the ground in agony. Dacia let out a sight and grabbed the vampires hair, "I suppose you're wondering, why you're feeling pain. Am I correct?"

He hoisted the large vampire into the air by his head, and struck his stomach with a hard blow. "You vampires are so foolish. You think just because you have super natural abilities you can forget about the grace and technique of fighting…"

As Dacia spoke Edward rushed up behind him and sent one of his claws soaring into his back. Dacia turned quickly, allowing Edward to stab his own brother.

"Emmet!" Edward screamed, pulling back in shock, as he dead Dacia threw Emmet off to the side and struck Edwards temple with the heel of his boot. His body crashed into the ground, and as soon as it did Dacia kicked Edward with superior force, sending the vampires body crashing into a nearby tree.

"You buffoons just lunge with all your might, without even thinking about your stance or movements." Dacia walked causally to Edward, who now struggled to stand.

Edward looked at his enemy with anger and panic as he slowly walked closer towards him. His legs shook, Edward couldn't help but cough involuntarily. The pain he felt in his body was so intense, it made his every joint ache. Edward, still trying to stand, began to feel a warm liquid running down the side of his mouth. He brought his hand up to feel what it was, as he did, Dacia stopped about a foot away from him.

"Do you know what that is young vampire?" He asked Edward casually. Edward looked at his fingers, they were covered with a glistening red liquid. "That, is your blood." Edward looked up at Dacia in shock. Vampires… could bleed?

Dacia laughed when he saw the expression on Edward's face, "You aren't the first to give me that dumbfounded look. All you vampires are the same, completely unaware just how fragile your bodies actually are."

"This… can't be my blood." Edward said in disbelief, he looked back down at his fingers, and the blood being slowly washed away by the rain, "this is impossible."

"Is it now?" Dacia cracked his neck and shifted his body quickly, in a flash Emmet was behind him, his fist completely missing its target. "Too slow my dear." Dacia said shifting behind Emmet and striking his leg once more. Emmet's knee snapped, and the vampire let out a scream. Dacia grabbed the vampire's skull with his fist and slammed it into the asphalt beneath them with all his might.

All at once, Emmet's screaming stopped. Edward watched as his brother was struck by Dacia's fists over and over. He let out and aggravated grunt as he tried to stand to his feet, but failed. Emmet's body was lifeless, and with ease Dacia tossed him off to the side once again, like a toy.

"You seem dumbstruck Edward." Dacia walked towards him and kneeled down to his level. "You say this is all impossible?"

"Vampires don't bleed. I've seen it with my own eyes, I've cut other vampires…"

"And they don't bleed. Yes, yes, let me ask you this then good Edward. Without flowing blood, how does your body continue to function?" Dacia waited for his opponent to answer, and smiled when he heard nothing but silence. "Yes, never thought about that did you? Vampires, they forget you see. They forget what they are, and what they aren't. You think your untouchable don't you? A god perhaps? Do you praise yourselves in vain like so many do? Never once stopping to think about the pure and simple fact that maybe… you're mortal?" Dacia stood up and let out another calm sigh.

He looked up into the grey sky, fixing his hair once again before continuing his talk, "Vampires… are indeed mortal. You just need to know how to hurt them."

Edward looked at Dacia. He didn't look threatening, not in the least. There was no evil in Dacia's eyes, his body wasn't built like a monster. He seemed frail and calm. Even now, as he stood in a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up and black veins showing, standing over Edward who was at his mercy – he didn't seem evil in any sense.

"How… did you do it?" Edward asked between breaths.

Dacia smiled, "Too much information at once can be dangerous. I think now would be a good time to end this." He pulled the large pistol which rested on his side and pulled back its hammer, "You were the better fighter Edward. Your brother will be first to go." Dacia said as he slowly walked over to the limp body of Emmet resting several feet away.

"No…" Edward said with panic in his voice. He needed to stand, he had to stand! His brother was about to be shot! "Please… don't do it!" Edward called after Dacia.

The vampire slayer gave no response, and continued to walk casually over to Emmet, weapon still in hand. Edward began to pant and grunt with aggravation. He looked at his legs, every part of his brain fired with pain as he slowly rose.

"Leave him alone!" Edward shouted.

Dacia sighed, "Don't worry. I'll let him be after I shoot his head." He stated with indifference. Dacia now stood above the motionless body of Emmet. He looked up to Edward, who now stood on shaking legs. "Wow, I'm surprised. I hit you right on your spinal cord. I figured you wouldn't be able to walk for at least an hour."

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but before anything could come out Dacia had pulled his trigger. His fiery bullet plunged into Emmet's head, and at once his body began to crumple into ash. As if nothing had happened Dacia walked back over to Edward calmly.

"There, see? I shot him. Done, now he can be left alone for the rest of his time here on earth." Dacia holstered his weapon as he slowly walked back to his other opponent.

Edward stared in shock at his brothers body. He went just like that, was it so simple? Things were never supposed to end like this, his life was never supposed to conclude so sorrowfully. Edward's view of reality however, was quickly shifting. Dacia now walked towards him, the man who had already killed two of his family members, and would now no doubt kill him.

"You have been foolish Mr. Cullen." Dacia said as he drew ever closer to his prey, "Too many days relaxing and growing slothful."

"I know." Edward answered, dropping to his knees, "I know."

Dacia stopped and stared curiously, "Giving up?"

"You're going to kill me aren't you?"

"Yes."

"And the rest of my family?"

"Yes."

There was a pause, Edward Spoke. "Then do it."

"No last words Mr. Cullen?"

"None."

"No sour remarks? No promises that you will avenge your families deaths?"

"…none."

Dacia let out a grunt of surprise before pulling out his firearm, "And here I was thinking you would have give me some last struggle." Dacia pulled out his large pistol and let its tip touch Edwards forehead, "Goodbye, Mr. Cullen."

Dacia pulled the Hammer back… Edward closed his eyes.

And Dacia clenched his finger around the trigger.

Edward heard the pistol go off, but was surprised to find that he felt no impact of the bullet. He looked up quickly to see what had happened. Before him, Clenching onto Dacia's hands with his powerful jaws, was Jacob. He looked into Edwards Eyes, and spoke to his mind.

"Can you get up?" He asked him. While doing so Jacob dashed around Dacia and pounced on his neck, biting down as hard as he could.

Edward stood slowly, and looked at Jacob in utter shock.

"What are you waiting for? Run!" Jacob screamed as he dodged one of Dacia's attacks before being flung off to the side.

"A wolf? How surprising." Dacia said with laughter. Black blood trickled form his neck slowly as he fired several shots at his new opponent.

Jacob swiveled out of the way and came charging at Dacia once more. The two meet each other with clashing blows, Jacob slicing Dacia's right arm, while one of Dacia's bullets punctured Jacob's shoulder bone.

He let out a yip as Dacia slammed him into the ground before striking him off into the distance. As he did so Edward felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around to find his daughter standing behind him.

"Ness!" He said, embracing her instantly. "I'm so glad you're safe."

Nessie returned his embrace, but only for a moment. She looked over to Jacob who now lunged at Dacia with all his might, "We have to get going father, Jacob can only hold this guy off for so long!"

Edward nodded slowly, "Ok, you get going. Our family has headed north, I'm going to help Jacob." Nessie hesitated for a brief moment, she didn't want to leave Jacob behind.

Edward could sense his daughters distress and met her eyes with his, "It will be alright Ness." He said calmly, "We'll meet up with you, I promise."

Nessie let out short breath and nodded, then bolted off towards the rest of her family.

Jacob opened his jaws and prepared to sink his teeth into Dacia's throat once again, he was halted by a sharp kick to his stomach however. The strike sent him soaring towards Edward, Jacob landed on his four paws and skidded to a halt, right beside his old rival Edward.

Jacob looked up at him and smiled, "This guys pretty good. No?"

Edwards smiled and nodded in agreement, "We have to go as soon as possible. Damage his legs, then we'll bolt for it."

"Whatever you say vampire…" Jacob said bearing his teeth and preparing for battle once again. His blood trickled onto the floor, the pain of his wound caused him to wince slightly.

"Are you hurt?" Dacia asked him curiously as he clicked the hammer back on his pistol once again, "You should have fled when you had the chance wolf."

Jacob attempted to move forward, but found it extremely hard to do so. Edward saw the large wound on Jacob quickly start to expand and grow black.

"Where you hit with one of his bullets?" Edward said in shock as he reached out to help his ally.

"Don't!" Jacob barked at him, "We don't have time to mend my wounds! Now is the time to fight, your daughter's life is at stake here!" he rushed forward to Dacia, teeth bared and ready to plunge into Dacia's flesh.

Edward quickly followed after him. The two reached Dacia simultaneously, and they both missed their target. Dacia moved out of their way once again, knocking them both back with ease. As Dacia raised his pistol once more at his enemies, but before he could fire he felt his back leg give out on him.

Dacia dropped to the ground, he spun quickly to see what had happened. Latching onto his leg, was a second wolf, Seth.

"You wolves never cease to amaze me." Dacia said dully as aimed his pistol at Seth and pulled the trigger. The brown wolf quickly moved out of the way and dashed off into the thick forest, Dacia turned to see where the rest of his prey had gone, they were no longer in sight.

In a sudden moment the forest had grown quiet once again. Rain pelted onto the earth, and onto the remaining ashes of the fallen vampires. For now, the battle had ended.

With a sigh Dacia cracked his neck and smiled, "Today is your victory Mr. Cullen… but only today… Our struggle is yet to be finished."


	8. Chapter 8

**-Note to readers-**

While normally I don't do this. I would like to apologize for the outrageously long delay to post this chapter. College has recently started up, and time is lacking. I write as often as I can, but the past few weeks have been extraordinarily busy. I thank you for being so patient, and I also thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter installment. I apologize if there's any more grammar errors than usual, I didn't have time to look it over as much. I figured I'd get this chapter out asap. And please, if you have any requests of stories you would like me to write. Don't hesitate to tell me about them. Once again thank you – Adam Gilbert

Edward ran as quickly as his legs could carry him. On his back rested Jacob, who had repeatedly drifted in and out of consciousness for the past thirty minutes. Nessie ran next to her father, and behind them Seth tagged along as quickly as he could. Edward couldn't think about anything, his mind was completely blank, numbed with fear and doubt. The truth had yet to sink in, the simple fact that his brother and sister… Emmet and Rosalie… were dead. It had happened so quickly, there wasn't any prolonged struggles, no final words. They had passed away like grass in the wind.

Edward couldn't bring himself to confront that fact, he couldn't bring himself to believe that they were gone. So he ran, in silence, in rain. He wasn't even sure where he ran to. Was the rest of his family ok? Had they been killed as well? Was the man they fought the only slayer out there? Edward shuttered at the thought that there could be more. His family, Emmett and Jasper, couldn't even handle one. That man had fought unlike anything Edward had ever seen. What's more… they all had felt pain.

"Dad? Dad?" Nessie called to her father who still sprinted with blinding speed.

He didn't respond.

"Dad, where are we going?"  
Edward skidded to a halt, allowing him and his party a moment to think. "I… I don't know." He stammered weakly.

Nessie looked at him with impatience, "Where have you been leading us dad? Where did the rest of our family go?"

Edward looked at the forest around him and attempted to smell the air for his family, it was nowhere to be found. He gave himself a mental beating for not paying more attention. But they didn't have time to stop, that slayer could be right behind them, there wasn't any time to stop.

"We have to keep moving…" Edward blurted out starting to walk forward. Nessie stopped him.

"No dad, we have to figure out where the rest of our family is… you do know where they are right?" She was just as panicked as he father. The only one who was calm at the moment was Seth. He walked up quickly behind the two Cullen's.

Nudging Edward's arm, he called out him bashfully, "I know where they are… I can smell them."

The two vampires paused they're conversation and looked to the wolf, he wagged his tail eagerly. "We have to get moving, Jacob isn't looking so good…"

Nessie's eyes shot to Jacob, the stress of seeing her loved one hurt was almost too much to handle. He rested weakly on Edward's back, still in his wolf form, struggling with every breath. The gunshot wound which had punctured directly through his front shoulder joint was slowly blackening. As was the entire area around it. Already in an hour the wound had tripled in size, and showed no signs of stopping.

"Will he be able to make it dad? Why is that wound turning black?" Nessie asked her father weakly.

Edward looked over his shoulder in dismay, while still cradling the large wolf he spoke, "I think… it might be radiation."

Nessie lips trembled, "Radiation? Like… like the stuff that comes from nuclear bombs?"

Edward nodded, but in all honesty he had little knowledge of it himself. The Cullen's hadn't bothered to learn about the outside world in its grandeur. Of course he had heard of radiation before, but by no means did he understand how it all worked. Carlisle would know. Yes, if he could get Jacob back to Carlisle there was a good chance he could survive.

"Can we treat it?" Seth asked curiously looking at Jacob, he tilted his head slightly, "I don't want him to die…"

"He's not going to die." Edward stated calmly. "Seth, lead us back to the Cullen's but keep your eyes open… there's no telling where that killer might be." Seth nodded eagerly and began to sniff the air.

"Ok so… yeah I think they're this way." He sniffed again and perked his ears up, "Definitely this way!"

Quickly the group sprinted through the forest, doing their very best to keep a lookout for another possible attack. The entire time Edward wondered, pondered, and worried. He had felt pain, he had bled. It made him wonder about a vampire's frailty, his weakness. The longer he stood and fought with that killer, the weaker he felt. Was it his weapons? Or was he just that strong?

Minutes passed by, soon the grey sky began to darken, night was upon them. After another forty minutes or so Edward felt the soreness of his body vanish. Soon he was feeling like his old self once again. He looked back and inspected Jacob, hoping that his body would eventually start healing as well. No such luck. His wounds had only grown blacker.

"How much farther off are they Seth?" Edward called off to the leading wolf.

Seth looked back at him, "Not much longer Ed… they should be just around the bend." His paws hit asphalt, the group passed across a decaying road before coming upon a sleepy town resting in the night. "They're here." Seth said before looking back at Edward.

"In this town, are you sure?" Edward kept his ears open, the last thing he wanted was another ambush.

Seth turned into his human form, "Yes, just below us Edward. Jacob is probably better off staying in his wolf form at this point, we heal quicker that way. I can stay with him on the outskirts while you two get help."

Nessie nodded and looked to her father, despite his incompetence as a father – he was good at leading in times of hardship.

Edward nodded in agreement, "If we're not back in three hours, take Jacob and keep running. Find a place that can heal him… maybe other wolves… just don't stay here. Ok?"

"Of course. Now get going Ed, I'll be fine." Seth said playfully before turning to Jacob.

With that, Nessie and her father made their way into town. The streets were nearly abandoned. It was an old place, filled with old people. Edward gritted his teeth, knowing full well that they're presence wouldn't go unnoticed. The place looked like it didn't receive many visitors, that would make it easy for him to find his family. As well for any others who were looking.

Edward and Nessie trotted down the brick streets, allowing their sense of smell to locate the other Cullen's.

"I don't like this place." Nessie said, staring at an old shops street window. "It kind of gives me the creeps dad."

Edward smiled weakly, "You're not the only one." If it was one thing that was a benefit to the lowly and desolate town, it was peace. Despite its eerie and unwelcoming persona, it seemed as though there wasn't a single thing lively or quick thing about it. After losing two of his family members, that was just what Edward needed – peace.

"Where do you thing Carlisle and the others have hid?" Nessie asked as she continued to peer into the old store windows.

Edward shrugged and let out a sigh, "Somewhere safe… I just hope…" he stopped himself before finishing. The thought had occurred to him that this whole ordeal could be a trap. That his family… had already been killed. Edward shook his head, He couldn't thing that right now. Thoughts like that can kill a man in times like these.

Nessie waited for her father to finish his thought, as she did, her ears picked up a faint whisper in the wind. "Ness…" It called gently. She raised her head and looked around her. "Ness…" It called again.

Nessie turned to her father, "Did you hear that dad?" She asked him.

Edward nodded, "Yes…"

"Over here…" The voice said quietly. With concentration, Edward could sense who it was. Alice, she was calling to them within their minds. Both their eyes were guided by the call, and the two of them quickly found Alice's hand waving to them from a backdoor of an old shop.

Edward and Nessie quickly made their way over to her. Alice leapt through the door and ran towards her brother. She embraced him with all her might, before letting out a sigh of relief.

Alice smiled, "I'm so glad you made it!" She said kissing him on the cheek. She looked over to Nessie and smiled gently, "You as well Ness… I'm glad to see you've come back."

Nessie let out a smirk, "Well, circumstances have changed."

Smiling politely, Alice looked past Edward, "Where's is Emmet?"

Edward was silent, Nessie looked over at him with pity. Alice didn't have to look into the future to know what had happened.

"And… Ross… was she?"

Edward nodded slowly. There was a cold silence that passed between the vampires. Alice let out a quivering sigh as she did her best to regain her composure.

"I was hoping for some good news…" She said weakly.

Edward placed a hand on her shoulder, "Jasper… did he make it to you guys alright?"

"Yes… well, in a way. He did make it, but the gunshot wound he had is… spreading. Carlisle has been doing his best to keep it under control but, I we simply don't know what to do with it. Esme isn't looking too healthy herself."

"Esme?" Edward questioned quickly, "Was she hit?"

Alice shook her head, "That's just it. We couldn't find any wound whatsoever. Her body is totally clean. But, her health is deteriorating much like Jasper's. I myself am feeling a little sick as well, Carlisle to."

Nessie looked at Edward, "Didn't you say something about radiation dad? Do you think that's could be what's keeping them from healing."

"Radiation?" Alice raised an eyebrow, "Edward, what makes you think it's radiation?"

"The killer told me." He answered quickly, "We both have many questions, but right now I have another who's been wounded. Jacob, he and Seth are waiting on the outskirts. His wound is just like Jasper's."

Alice's eyes lit up, immediately she engaged herself, "Ok, I understand. Nessie, you come with me. Edward, you go and get those two wolves. We'll meet in that old shop I came from. Carlisle has set up a medical treatment area to the best of his abilities. Whether or not he'll be able to help with radiation… I don't know. But it's what we've got right now."

Without a word Edward bolted off towards the direction of the wolves, leaving Nessie and Alice to return to the shop. He knew using his powers was dangerous, around every corner a slayer could be waiting. But he didn't have time to worry about that right now. Right now several of his companions were slowly marching towards the brink of death, and if he didn't act quickly they would cross over.

Near a tree line on the outskirts of town is where they rested. Seth watched over Jacob in his human form. Upon seeing Edward he immediately helped lift the large wolf to carry him back to town.

"He'll have to transform into human form." Edward stated quickly as the two began to come close to the quiet little town, "If not, we're going to attract a lot of unwanted attention."

Seth looked down at Jacob, "Agreed. But, we do have one slight problem. The guy isn't awake anymore. He drifted off into unconsciousness some time ago."

Edward let out an aggravated mumble, "Alright, fine. Looks like we'll have to cover him with something."

"Why not just bolt into town? Humans can't see us when we move our quickest anyway."

"Yeah, but Slayers can." Edward countered.

"You think it matters at this point whether or not we use our powers? They don't need us to use our powers to know where we are, they just know."

Edward stared at Seth for a moment, the two only a few feet away from town. "Alright, fair enough." With that the two speed off into the town. It was nightfall now, and the only thing that lighted up the streets were a few rusting lamps.

Needless to say, the chances of being seen were remotely slim. In an instant the two had Jacob at the door of the Cullen's new hideout. Edward knocked on the door, it opened at once.

He and Seth carried Jacob inside the old building. It stank of rotting wood and old trinkets. The shop only had one large room, its floor was riddled with dust. Several desks had been converted into medical beds, and on them rested Jasper, Esme, and Bella. Carlisle watched over all of them, doing his best to mend their sicknesses. The sight left Edward in a shock, causing him to nearly dropped Jacob.

"Hey! Watch it Edward!" Seth shouted doing his best to hold onto Jacob.

Edward's attention was brought back to the dying wolf, "Oh right… sorry."

Carlisle, Alice and Nessie all looked back at them. Their faces lit up, seeing that Edward was still ok.

"Dad, you can put Jacob over here." Nessie said quickly, "Carlisle's already got an I.V. set up for him."

Edward looked over at Carlisle, who gave him an assuring nod, "Just place him down. We'll take a look at him in a moment."

Seth and Edward hauled the large wolf over to the table, then gently set him down. Nessie was by his side immediately. She caressed his fur delicately, sadness enveloping her eyes. Edward thought about saying something, to his daughter which now stood before him. In all honesty however, he never knew what to say. Edward… hadn't dealt with emotion this powerful in years, it left him speechless.

"Edward, please, come over here." Carlisle called to him calmly, "There are some things I would like to discuss with you."

Edward looked at Carlisle, who now stood over Jasper. Quickly Edward walked over to his two family members. Jasper smiled at him weakly, Edward smiled back. Jasper was lying shirtless on the table, being mended together as best as Carlisle could. Edward's eye caught Jaspers now completely black arm, it had shriveled, and looked completely useless. Black veins were starting to climb up his neck and across his chest

"Heard Emmet didn't make it."

Edward nodded in response.

Jasper looked up at the grey ceiling, "That's too bad…"

"Yeah, it is."

Carlisle waited a moment, allowing his two sons some time to regain their composure. Despite their outward appearances, the two were hurting deeply. Edward looked over at Bella, the concern in his heart doubling.

"Will she be ok Carlisle? Was she hit?"

Carlisle shook his head, "No, she's suffering from shock Edward. Hasn't been able to move since the crash."

"I need to go to her." Edward stated quickly. Before he could leave Carlisle grabbed his arm.

"My sons, we have lost something no family should lose… but right now I need you to both focus. You have seen the face of the enemy. With your battle knowledge, we can start to learn how to defend ourselves." Carlisle spoke gently, much like he always did. "Right now, we are in the dark about these… Slayers. Without proper knowledge they will find us again, and they will kill us."

Edward did his best to focus his mind. He knew Carlisle was right, they needed to figure what had happened, what they were up against.

"He was as strong as us, that much I do know." Jasper said quickly, "I… didn't get much of a chance to fight but… my guess is he was a vampire himself."

Edward nodded, "I'd have to agree. No human can move that fast."

Carlisle looked at the two. "Unless of course… he was something else besides human or vampire. Tell me Edward, was there anything strange about him when you fought? Anything that caught your attention."

Edward didn't have to think long, "We got sick when we were around him for too long. We grew tired, We could feel pain… we even bled."

Jasper seemed somewhat surprised, "Bled? Vampires can bleed?"

"It would seem so." Edward answered quickly.

Carlisle let out a concerning sigh, "This is certainly interesting. We know full well that Vampires don't bleed regularly, we also know that physical ailment isn't something that bothers us either. So then, the question is, why did all that change around this Slayer?"

"Poison, maybe?" Jasper said.

"No, poisons don't have any effect on us." Carlisle said shaking his head.

Edward cleared his throat, "The Slayer… he said something about radiation…"

Upon hearing these words Carlisle stopped in moving, Jasper and Edward could tell his mind was moving a mile a minute. He mumbled a few words here and there before shifting over to Jaspers blackening arm.

"Does it hurt?" Edward asked Jasper, as he stared at his now dead arm.

Jasper smiled, "More than anything."

"It's been a while since I've felt pain…" Edward replied, "It hurts a lot more than I remember."

"Edward, what else did the Slayer say about radiation?" Carlisle asked while inspecting Jaspers arm, "Did he go into any detail about it? Anything at all?"

Edward shook his head, "He was very brief about it all. But, if it helps any… he had black veins. Like the ones here." He pointed to the veins crawling across Jaspers chest.

Carlisle rolled his hand through his hair and mumbled once again, "That… it very interesting." He stood up from Jasper, "Very interesting…" he walked slowly away from the table, mumbling to himself under his breath.

Edward waited a moment, allowing Carlisle to collect his thoughts then spoke. "So, do you have any idea what it all means?"

Carlisle didn't reply instantly. He paced a little while longer before finally speaking, "I think…" He said calmly, "That perhaps our enemy is filled with radioactive blood…"

Edward caught Carlisle's eye, the two looked over to Jasper's withering arm.

"And I think… that his weapons carry that same kind of radiation. So, in essence, he's walking death. That would explain the reason why you slowly grew sick around him, and that would also explain the reason why his weapons do serious damage to us."

Edward's heart sank into his chest. Walking death? Dacia's words echoed in his mind.

_"I'm already dead." _

"Do you think he's a vampire then?" Jasper asked weakly.

Carlisle ran his fingers through his hair, "Well… to make something like him… they would need a strong body to work with…"

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"Think about it Edward. As much as it pains me to say this, you saw what that Slayers weapons can do. They shrivel up the enemy, turn them to ash, and poison what is left. If they plugged that type of radioactive reaction into a vampire in his normal state, their body wouldn't be able to survive. He would have to be… changed, altered."

Edward crossed his arms, "So like, cell mutation you mean? To keep the body from completely turning into ash?"

Carlisle nodded, "Exactly, and it would seem that the man your fighting has done so successfully. At least… the people he's working for have. They've made the ultimate killing machine."

"A man that can't be touched, and who can't be killed with conventional weapons."

Carlisle and Edward went silent. Both were thinking about the same thing, the next question which needed to be asked.

Edward was the first to say it, "So… how do we kill him? If we open him up, there's a chance that black blood of his will be twice as lethal outside of his body, we'll all be vomiting blood on the floor in minutes."

Carlisle sighed, "Yes, it is a quiet the scenario, no doubt. Of course, the second thing we need to start worrying about is, how to treat these wounds…"

Jasper let out a rasping cough, "Do you think… we can… fix it?" Edward looked at Carlisle, waiting for his reply.

"With the current tools I have now… no. But perhaps if we got to a large medical facility. The problem right now is in the cellular structure, if it is indeed radiation. It can't be fixed with usual remedies."

"Can't it just healed itself? It took me a couple of hours but…"

"You were the lucky one Edward." Carlisle quickly interjected, "Like I said, these aren't normal wounds. It all depends on how hard the radiation hits its victim, and whether your cell structure is permanently damaged."

Edward looked over at his fellow family members who rested on their tables, all of them were suffering some form of radiation poisoning. Edward and Bella, were the only ones who had made it out unscathed.

"Carlisle… how are you doing?" Edward asked.

The blonde vampire shook his head. "It would seem that maybe my life has been cut short. But that's the last of my worries at this moment. Right now Edward, we need to find help."

Edward nodded, it dawned on him then, in that small room. As he stared at the wounded and dying, the things he thought would never touch vampires. Edward understood that it was he who his family relied on, and it was now he would have to lead.

It was then, a knock came to their door.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hello again readers. I apologize for grammar errors below. I wanted to get this out ASAP to you guys. Hope you enjoy it. Till later then – Adam Gilbert_

"They got away?" Vella asked coldly. Dacia stared at the ashes of one of the vampires, rain still pouring into the night.

"They're filled with radiation, and will need to find help. They won't make it far." He replied, adjusting his wet dress shirt, "Their death will come in due time."

"Lore wanted them dead today Dacia. He wanted you to kill them today."

Dacia looked at Vella and smiled politely, "Things have… changed." Vella let out a cackling laugh and walked towards him. She gently ran her fingers up his shoulder.

"He's grown impatient with you Dacia…" She brought her lips to his ear, "He's angry."

"I do not fear that man." Dacia stated blandly, "I do not fear…"

Vella smiled at Dacia for a moment, as he turned from her to look at the dead vampire once more. She crossed her arms and smirked, "Then, you won't mind hearing that he's come to see you. Personally."

Dacia froze, only for a moment. Vella smiled, it was the exact reaction she wanted. "Afraid?" She asked him playfully.

"How close is he?" Dacia asked.

"Several minutes away." Vella replied. She walked over to Dacia's side and stared down at the dead vampire, "Is this one you killed?"

"Of course." Dacia replied indifferently.

"At least Lore will be happy about that." Vella looked over to her ally; he did not return her gazed. She let out a giggle and frowned slightly, "Are you angry with me?"

Dacia did not reply, instead he reached for his overcoat which rested on the muddy and wet ground.

Vella watched as he put the wet piece of cloth on, "There's no need to pout my love." She gently laced her fingers into his hair, smiling as she did so, "I had to tell him sometime."

"You've never had to before." Dacia replied with coldness.

There were footsteps that came behind them, soft, quick. Dacia spun around immediately to inspect who it was. But he already knew, the dropping temperature was his calling card. The chills that ran through Dacia's spine were his trademark. Their eyes fixated on each other, the man with silver hair, Lore, had arrived.

The two slayers stared at one another, the heavy rainfall pelting against their hardened skin. The well dressed Lore smiled and gave Dacia a polite bow, the fellow slayer returned the gesture.

"Good to see you again." Lore's voice, couldn't be heard. He never spoke, it came from within the mind. It made Dacia grit his teeth with contempt.

"Likewise." Dacia answered politely.

"The Cullen's…" Lore said softly, his glowing eyes peering down at one of the dead vampires, "Have they been silenced?"

Dacia didn't fear a soul, because there wasn't anything he needed to fear. To say that he feared Lore would be an inadequate statement. It wasn't fear that made Dacia tense around Lore, but rather Lore's persona. Without Dacia's consent his body would freeze, as if Lore had absolute authority over him. He resented him for that. It seemed that Lore was the only being that Dacia did not have under his mercy.

"No." Dacia replied calmly.

Lore looked over to him slowly, his white glowing eyes staring blankly, "Why?"

"The plan changed sir."

"My plans do not change Dacia. They do not need to be changed." Lore's face remained expressionless, the words which he sent to Dacia's mind were calm and indifferent. "Why, have you changed them?"

"It would appear… that some wolves are still alive." Dacia answered.

Lore turned his head, "Did you not destroy the wolf village?"

"I did."

"How then, do wolves still remain?"

"They weren't in the village at the time sir." Dacia replied calmly. He could feel his body trembling, this happened to everyone who stood in the presence of Lore for too long. Vella as well shook, both out of fear and growing weakness of her body.

Lore nodded, "Why did you not hunt them down? I know you are more than capable of doing so."

For this Dacia had no answer. He knew the reason why he didn't hunt the wolves, and why some of the Cullen's still survived. Lore knew as well, it was the answer he was forcing out of Dacia. They both knew that to him, this was a game. An engaging sport, a opportunity for Dacia to play with his power. To kill the Cullen's with a surprise attack would have been efficient yes, but that's not what Dacia sought. He yearned for a challenge, a game, not a slaughter.

"I don't know." Was Dacia's reply.

"I believe you do know." Lore answered quickly, "I believe we both know."

"It's done, it can't be turned back now. I promise you I will finish them Lore." Dacia said as calmly as he could. He felt his legs giving out, as his strength was slowly sapped from him.

Lore's face didn't move, but Dacia knew he was smiling. "Surely, at your own pace you will. Dacia, you are unpredictable. Effective no doubt, but unpredictable. You will no longer hunt down the Cullen's." Lore let his words sink in before he continued, "Others will take your place."

Dacia smirked, "Do you really think they will be able to finish this task Lore?"

"I would ask the same question about you Dacia. At this moment, they are about as reliable as you. They've already been sent out."

Dacia clenched his teeth in aggravation. The Cullen's were his, he wanted to see to their end. No vampires had ever given him such a promising fight. "So be it."

Lore's face still remained expressionless, he gave Dacia a polite bow. "Then you will return with me, for we have much to discuss." He turned to Vella, "You as well Vella, will return with us."

She nodded, her body trembling uncontrollably. "Yes… my Lord."

Dacia yawned, doing his best to hide any physical weakness, he looked Lore in the eyes, assuring him that no fear resided in his body. "Well, shall we get going then?"

- Scene Break -

"Don't answer it!" Bella hissed at Edward. The knocking on the door continued, both Edward and Carlisle looked at one another.

"Doesn't smell like a vampire." Edward stated calmly.

Carlisle nodded, "Neither does it smell like a wolf."

There was another knock on the door, a violent wrap, pounding against the old wood. It didn't need to be stated, who called from beyond that door. They all knew, and all feared.

"We need to get the wounded out." Edward whispered.

Carlisle nodded.

There was a third knock on the door, then silence.

"They will break it down soon." Carlisle looked at Jasper, "Can you take the wounded?" He asked him.

Jasper slowly rose, clasping his shriveled arm, "I can."

The rest of the Cullen's quickly gathered themselves, Jasper led them quickly out the back door, all of them disappeared into the night. Nessie was the last to leave, holding Jacob on her shoulders. She looked at her father, Edward stared back at her.

"Hey, try to make it to me in one piece. Ok?" She asked him weakly.

Edward smiled, "Ok."

As Nessie rushed out into the darkness, the shops entrance door flung off its hinges, flying across the room, splintering into shards against glass and mirrors.

A man dressed in a white suit walked in calmly, adjusting his golden locks upon entering the dusty old room. He scanned the quarters quickly, only finding Carlisle and Edward still remaining. His blue eyes caught their golden ones, he let out a dashing smile and pointed to Edward.

"You are… Mr. Cullen? The father of the bunch, Dr. Carlisle?" He asked.

Edward didn't reply.

The blonde haired man let out a chuckle, "Then you must be." He said pointing to Carlisle. "An honor truly. I love your medical papers doctor." He took a few steps forward and looked around the old abandoned room.

"An odd place to set up a medical shop no?" He asked pointing to the I.V.'s and medical supplies.

Neither of the Cullen's replied to his remark. The Slayer looked at Edward and Carlisle for a moment, placing his hands into his pocket.

"So, where are the others?" His voice was filled with charisma and tact. It was sticky sweet, a batch of potent and sickening friendliness and false comfort.

Again, neither of the Cullen's replied.

The blonde haired man raised his eyebrow, "You are a quiet bunch aren't you. Do you think it matters if you tell me where they went or not. Because, let's be honest, it will be fairly simple to track down your radiation sick partners." The slayer placed one foot forward and stared at the floor, "Very simple…"

Edward clenched his teeth in aggravation. His thoughts returned to Nessie, to Bella. Still, he remained silent. Now wasn't the time to lose control of his emotions.

"So, with that knowledge at hand. You understanding that at any moment I choose when you shall die… I suppose I can give you a deal." He paced slowly, "You two, tell me exactly, where you're other family members have gone. And I will, allow you two to escape." He stopped pacing and smiled at Carlisle, "Of course, you and I already know your answer to my offer. You will refuse, like the gallent gentlemen that you are." He nodded and laughed, "Of course you will refuse. So why do I ask?"

The Cullen's stared, Edward listening to Carlisle's thoughts as the two slowly developed a battle plan.

The slayer let out another beautiful smile, "Do you have any idea why I'm asking you for something I know you will refuse?" He leaned forward, awaiting some kind of response, "Any idea at all?"

"Just do what you came here to do." Carlisle said coldly.

The slayer laughed, "Please Doctor, we have time to talk, why so eager to die? Come now, answer my question."

Edward took a step forward. The slayer stepped back casually.

"Do you think it's because I'm stalling perhaps?" The slayers face spilled over with glee. "Does what I'm doing make more sense now?"

Carlisle looked over at Edward, fear now pulsating through his eyes.

The slayer clapped his hands together, "There it is! That was the look I was hoping for! You get it now? What is going on here? The family members that have fled, haven't really escaped have they?" The slayer laughed and gazed at the ceiling, "You have no doubt realized by now that I have not come alone… and your family members are more than likely fighting for their lives as I speak."

"Where are they?" Carlisle barked.

The slayer smiled, "Still want to refuse that deal I offered you? Only, let's switch it around shall we? Instead of them dying for your safety, would you perhaps die for theirs?"

Edward let out a short breath. Once again they had played right into the slayers trap. It was a simply question now, did they take the risk losing their loved ones in combat? Or did they give up now, to let them fly to safety. There was a long pause, appropriate for a time such as this.

"How do I have a guarantee for their safety?" Carlisle breathed out weakly.

"A guarantee? Isn't my word enough?" The slayer asked him playfully.

"A guarantee." Carlisle said again, "How can I know you will do as you promise?"

"Carlisle." Edward hissed, "He will just hunt them down in the future, you can't deal with someone like this."

The slayer raised his eyebrow, "Oh? You think that do you? Just because I have a job as an assassin doesn't make me any less you human… well… vampire than you Mr. Cullen." He let out a snicker, "Perhaps that's why you are so fearful."

"Why not just kill us all." Edward asked, "Why bother letting some of us go if you have everything surrounded?"

"Ah! Now there is the question isn't it?" The slayer took off his over coat and began to fold it in his hands. He looked at Edward, "Perhaps, this is what I was told to do? Hmm? Maybe I was supposed to give you this decision?"

Edward shook his head, "Unlikely, I've run into one of you already, I know that's not how you work."

The slayer nodded in agreement, placing his overcoat onto a nearby table, "Well then, perhaps I just feel like giving you an option." His blue eyes dug into Edward's heart, they were sickening, "Can I not be a man with a kind heart?"

At this Edward caught something from the slayer, not something he was saying. But rather, what he was thinking. Edward, could hear his thoughts. They were subtle, too indistinct to make out exactly. But none the less, they were there. He smiled back at the slayer, a feeling of triumph taking over his body.

"Is there something amusing about this?" The slayer asked Edward politely.

"Your thoughts, I can hear them." Edward replied.

The room went silent for a moment, a brief few seconds. Enough for Edward to realize that this slayer, had just lost some control of the situation.

"Why is that?" Edward asked him curiously.

"Your power allows this no?" The slayer said back with a smile, "Why would it be such a surprise then that you can hear the mumbling of my brain. But of course I am sure nothing you hear is helping you at the moment; because if it was that look of fear in your eyes would have vanished by now."  
"I couldn't hear the thoughts of the other slayer." Edward said calmly, "Of the one I couldn't beat. But you… I don't even feel sick around you."

The slayer cleared his throat and looked down at the floor, "Do you care about your family Mr. Cullen?" He asked, "Do you wish to see them die."

"You're not radiated are you?" Edward asked.

The slayer glared at him, "One wrong move Mr. Cullen, and they are as good as dead."

"Edward just calm down for a moment." Carlisle interjected quickly. He was far more nervous than Edward. Everything was happening so quickly.

"Your just a regular vampire."

"So what if I am?" The slayer snapped back, "Does it change the fact that your family is in peril? No, does it change the fact that you could lose them at my command? I think not." He fixed his blonde hair and took a deep breath, "Let me ask you Mr. Cullen, do you want to risk losing them?"

Edward took a moment, staring calmly at his opponent, "You… can't kill me. Can you?"

The slayer remained silent, a look of shock came over Carlisle.

"That's why you're playing this game isn't it? So we will kill off ourselves. Once we're dead, it'll be much easier taking out the sick."

"I could take out them right now." The slayer replied with a trembling voice, "As we speak."

"Then do it." Edward said calmly.

"Edward…" Carlisle looked at his son, afraid of what might happen to him or his family. All three vampires stood in a triangle, silent. The wind and rain batting against the outside of the house.

The slayer let out a deep breath, "So, what happens next?"

" I guess that's up to you isn't it. You want to walk away?" Edward replied.

The slayer laughed, "No, I assume you won't either?"

"Nope."

"You attack me Mr. Cullen, and I call death on your family."

"You call death on my family, and I attack."

Again, silence. A stalemate. An ever growing tension between two warring souls. Then, like a bullet, the nervous slayer reached into his pocket.

Edward didn't hesitate, he bolted forward at the assassin. Edward raised his claws with uncertainty, unsure if his attack would do any damage. His opponent swiveled quickly, but nowhere near the amount of speed of his former opponent, Dacia.

This slayer didn't have radiation flowing in his veins, he wasn't a super soldier. He wasn't fast, Edward could keep up with him. As the two slashed back and forth Edward found himself on the winning end of the battle. His heart brightened up quickly as he snatched one of his opponent's arms and flung him through the wall of the old building.

The slayer's body smashed onto the outside road, his face crushing into bricks and concrete. Surprised by Edward's strength the vampire pulled out his weapon quickly and searched for his target. He was too late however, as he raised his large pistol, Edward appeared before him and disarmed him with ease, slamming his face into the ground once more.

Without remorse Edward tore into his opponents body, severing both his arms and head quickly. The feeling of victory was overwhelming. He quickly reached for the vampire's pistol and raised the large weapon. Then, without thinking twice, Edward pulled the trigger, destroying the monsters severed head. It turned to ash as the bullet cracked through his hard cranium, and plunged into the cold flesh of the slayer. As quickly as it started, it ended. Edward let out a breath of relief and looked to see where Carlisle had ventured to.

He couldn't hear any signs of struggle, perhaps this vampire slayer was bluffing? Edward clenched onto the large pistol in his hand and quickly raced off to find his other family members. His legs sent him quickly through the little town, he heard the faint thoughts of his family off in the distance. It took Edward only seconds to reach them after that. He found Carlisle standing over another assassin, and around him several other piles of ashes.

Edward's heart stopped as his eyes fixated on one of the casualties. His love, Bella, rested still breathing slowly, half turned to ash.


	10. Final Chapter - Part 1

_If you haven't been made aware already, I have not updated this story in some time. The reason being? Well, without going into too much detail, I will simply say that I have written myself into a corner and see no way out. The story was meant to take a focus on Ness and Jacob, but due to my laziness I have lost that focus. To obtain it again would mean pages of filler scenes and poor writing. So, to avoid that horrid fate which you do not deserve, below is an alternate ending I have written. These last few entries will be the final excerpts for this story arc, I do hope it does some justice for you Twilight fans, and if it does not, I am sorry. That being said, enjoy the writing below._

* * *

_How many years has it been now Mr. Cullen? That you and I have played this game of tag? How many of your kin have fallen prey to me? How many of your friends, who in great desperation, attempted to strike me down? All in the name's sake of the child you bore, of the half breed. I know you travel in light company these days, I know you now walk on your last leg. _

_You're time is coming Mr. Cullen, it has been so for a long time. You thought you could outlast me, you thought if you fled long enough I would pass away. You know my time runs short, but you greatly underestimated how long I will press on with this rotting corpse. Know this now Mr. Cullen, I will drag myself to the end days of this earth if I have to. I will drag myself into fire and flame if it means seeing the end of you. _

_You and I have lost too much for our struggle to end this way. Fate calls us to an intimate binding, to something we cannot escape. I close in on you Mr. Cullen, no doubt you hear me coming. I close in on you, to seal the fate of the Cullen bloodline; to bring the half-breed where she need go, and to end your life. _

_We will meet shortly, and I do pray you will not disappoint me. _

_With the most sincerity I can offer, your hunter – Dacia Gibbons_

* * *

Edward walked silently towards a broken building in fog. Trailing behind him were two others, his daughter Ness and Jacob, the last living werewolf. The winter snows were melting in the rain, releasing the thick mist which covered the group from eye sight. Their steps were quiet, a skill which had been learned through years of hiding and fleeing.

It was mid-day, and if it were up to Edward, he would have chosen to wait until nightfall before moving. But that option wasn't in hand, because all three of them were being steadily pursued by hunters.

Edward dug his hand into the deep pocket of his ratted trench coat, he pulled out a small piece of paper, then stopped. "I think this is the way," he said calmly, "but I can't be sure."

Jacob walked over to him and adjusted the hood which rested just above his brow. All three of them were no longer dressed for luxury, but survival. The years of being hunted had shifted their habits and traits. Ignorant romance had fled from the group, and now all that remained was a sober minded hope. It hung lazily in the groups decaying clothes.

"How far behind do you think they are? Two days?" Ness asked placing her nose to the earth and inhaling it deeply, "I'd say two days Dad."

Edward nodded, "Something like that. But let's say a day to be safe."

"It gives us enough time to search the building right?" Jacob asked looking at the piece of paper in Edward's hands, "Or should we wait it out? Try to ambush them?"

Ness shook her head and stood up, "Not enough hands to ambush them. We'd be killed. It's Dacia."

"Damn that man." Edward said blandly. Jacob looked over at him and smiled weakly. They laughed for a moment. "Ok, we search the building. I doubt we'll find him though, but we'll search anyway."

Jacob and Ness nodded, following their father slowly down a makeshift trail. Their bare feet sloshed in the wet mud. Soon they came upon the back of the broken building, the building which according to Edward's information, used to be the hunters main headquarters. Birds fluttered in the bushes as the three passed.

"Jacob," Edward whispered, "check the door up ahead. Let us know if it is clear." Jacob nodded silently in response, shifting into his wolf form.

Long lines of bare skin riddled his fur, signs of radiation wounds. He no longer looked like a proud beast, but resembled a weary scavenger. He quickly paced to the broken door of the complex. As he did Edward pulled out a large pistol which he carried in a side holster on his belt, the same weapon the hunters used against them. Jacob stopped for a moment, sniffing the air, then ran back to Edward.

"Is it clear?" Ness asked him.

Jacob returned to human form, and nodded, "Yes. Completely empty."

"You're sure this time? You're absolutely sure?" Ness replied.

"Yes. I'm absolutely sure." Jacob replied in aggravation.

Ness stared at him for a moment, then looked over to her father, "I don't think he's sure Dad."

"Damnit I'm sure!"

Edward stood up and fixed his coat, "Let's go. It's clear, we'll search it quick and leave."

"We need to leave before nightfall Dad." Ness said, following her father into the building.

"I know." Edward replied calmly, "We'll be out before then."

The building was filled with torn papers, broken computers, and empty vials. Like Edward had thought, what they were searching for wasn't there. Jacob and Ness scavenged the rooms for anything they could use in the wild, they found six plastic bags of corroding blood in an old ice box – to which Edward happily put in his backpack. Then the group left through the front door, following the paper in Edward's hands.

They searched for a man called Lore, the only man who knew how to stop the slowly creeping radiation which was taking over all of their bodies. It was a sickness all three of them carried. Out of the three Ness was holding up the best, though in the past months even she was beginning to show signs of radiation poisoning.

Their veins grew black, their hair grew thin. It frightened them the first year, but after the second and the third, it became old news. When he was still alive, Carlisle had done everything in his power to slow the effects, but even he could not fully cure the poison. He died from it while running away from Hunters, his heart burst after it failed to pump the blackening blood in his system.

The only hoped remained in Lore, the creator of the Hunters. Edward had been searching him out for two years, and had yet to find him. But there was a hope which remained. The paper which he now held in hand carried promise. It was the map of all known hunter facilities, and Edward had just narrowed down his search to one last place. It rested north, a two days hike from where he was now.

"We'll have to speed up our pace to make our final destination in time. If we take too long the hunters may warn them that we're coming." Edward said, he into the darkened eyes of Jacob, "How are you feeling?"

"I can run. It's no problem." Jacob answered, turning back into his wolf form.

"We can take it slow if we need to." Ness said, gently petting Jacob's fur, "Right Dad?"

Edward nodded, "If that's what you need Jacob. I don't want you vomiting up blood because of fatigue. We'll need every bit of strength we have to capture Lore."

"When I say I'm fine I mean it." Jacob growled, "I'm ready to go Edward."

The group was silent for a moment, then Ness spoke, "Do you really think we can get him Dad? Do we have a chance of getting fixed?"

"Maybe… it's hard to say." Edward replied calmly. He looked into his daughters eyes and smiled, the many years on the road had brought them close together. They were more like a family now than ever before. "But that's not going to stop me from trying."

Ness nodded, "Agreed."

Jacob yawned, "Yeah, agreed. Now let's get going before the Hunters catch up with us." With that, the group ran off into the wilderness, too quick for the eye to see.

* * *

_Mr. Cullen, it has come to my hunting party's direct attention that you have now quickened your pace and head directly for our main layer. What is it you expect to find there? A cure for the radiation which courses through your veins?_

_Although I hate to be a critic, I must address the poor logic of which you follow. If we had a cure for the disease within our facility, do you not think we would have already used it on ourselves? Perhaps you do not even realize that we, the Hunters, suffer the same fate that you do. Perhaps you do not realize that we hunt you in attempts to find a cure. Has this thought ever crossed your mind? I would assume not Mr. Cullen. Your ability to elude my capture may have increased in these past years, but your ability to reason clearly has not. _

_It is no matter. We come for you now, and when we meet it will be my great honor to pass these notes along to you. It seems our final encounter will be at my birthplace, strange, as it will be your gravesite. _

_I look forward to seeing you again Mr. Cullen. _

_Until then, your Hunter – Dacia Gibbons_

* * *

"It's a lot bigger than I expected…" Jacob whispered to Edward, who nodded in response. The three now hid in a large scrap pile, a twenty story complex resting North of them. It was night now, and the rain pelted against their faces without remorse.

Ness tried to wring out her black tattered jacket, her attempts to dry it failed. She let out a grunt of aggravation, "It doesn't matter, can we just go inside? I'm sick and tired of being wet and cold all the time."

"You can't even feel the cold." Edward said with a smile, "What does it matter?"

Ness smirked, "Ha ha Dad. I don't know about you, but being homeless on top of everything else we have to deal with isn't exactly the kind of future I had in mind. I'm balding, we can't eat anymore cause it makes us puke up black crap." Ness looked at the facility and clenched her jaw, "I just want this to be over."

"You and I both toots. It'd be nice to get my full fur coat back." Jacob said, "Edward, what do you think the best way in is?"

Edward shook his head, "There isn't really a best way in… the whole place is guarded pretty well." He looked at all the possible entryways. The place was crawling with guards, most of them human. Cameras watched every corner, invisible alarm systems were wired and ready to be tripped. "If we go in, they will know…" They were all silent for a moment. Rain soaked through their clothing completely. Edward could feel his once invincible body aching with pain.

"Well, if the hunting party is after us, wouldn't that mean no one is home?" Ness asked curiously. Edward nodded slowly.

"Perhaps…" He said, "But my guess is a great majority of these guards carry the same firearms Dacia does. I don't want to get into another firefight, I don't think our bodies could handle it…"

Neither Ness nor Jacob disagreed with Edward. They sat for a moment, and doing so gave Edward time to think. He knew that, whether or not Lore awaited them, this would be his family's last attempt to finding a cure. He had watched his daughter at night, she coughed up blood regularly now. It was only a matter of months before she would be unable to move, and her body turned to ash. If they didn't find the cure now, there would be no more hope for his family.

There was a noise which echoed several miles out, it caused the three to raise their heads. "We all heard that, correct?" Jacob asked.

"Yes… it's the hunters. It looks as though they might have found another vampire along their way…" Edward said. He turned to his daughter, "Ness, you're right, there aren't any hunters here, we would have known by now. If there's any time for us to search this base, it's now."

Jacob gave a smirk, and turned into his wolf form. "So, are we just going to barge in there then?" He asked with a smile. Edward turned to him, he had never gotten used to how thin Jacob looked.

Edward smiled, "No, we'll sneak around as best we can. But once we breach the building we'll have to move quickly. We search for any clues that will bring us Lore."

Jacob nodded, "Alright, let's start sneaking then." He smiled weakly before turning to the base and quickly started to move along its outskirts. Edward and Ness followed him, moving as quietly as their feet would allow. The complex was large, but luckily they found the back of the facility was far less guarded than its front. This gave Edward comfort, it didn't take them long before they found an entrance into the facility blind to the cameras.

What guards were patrolling the back grounds and loading docks of the facility were easily avoided by Edward and his family. They pressed lightly against the slushy snow beneath them, eventually reaching a large parking garage attached to the complex's main building. It was dark inside, which led Edward to believe it a perfect place to enter the facility. Upon entering they found themselves suddenly brought to a halt. All three of them began to cough uncontrollably. Edward's eyes widened, he grabbed onto his daughter quickly.

"Dad…" She whispered to him between coughs. "Is this a trap?" Edward didn't answer her, a patrol guard came close to them. Edward quickly pulled Ness behind a car and motioned Jacob to follow.

"Jacob." Edward hissed, looking over the direction of the guard. Jacob gave him a nod between coughs and slowly made his way over to their makeshift hiding spot. His coughing was stronger than the other two. Black blood began to spurt up from his nose and mouth as he limped his way to Edward. The guard turned down an aisle of cars, only feet away from Jacob now. Edward continued to wave to the wolf frantically, and Jacob continued to nod as if nothing was wrong. He let out a final cough, before his shaking legs gave out beneath him.

Ness clenched onto her father, "Dad, he's not going to make it. Let me help him."

Edward looked to his daughter with frightened eyes, then back at the guard, "Quickly!" Ness gave a nod and rushed to Jacob's side. He remained in his wolf form, and smiled faintly. As the guard neared the two of them, his light nearly upon them as Ness pulled Jacob to the car. Edward grabbed onto the wolf's body, and tried to calm the wolf's coughing.

"You need to be quiet Jacob." He said calmly. Jacob looked up at him, attempting to hold back his coughs. Edward could see black liquid tearing from his eyes. Jacob let out another cough, and the guard quickened his pace.

Ness peered over the car, "He's heard us, the guard's coming!"

"I have to cover your mouth Jacob." Edward said to him. Jacob nodded in return, "Will you be able to breathe if I do?" Jacob simply smiled, attempting to hold back his coughs once more. Edward covered his mouth as the guard loomed closer.

* * *

_Mr. Cullen, _

_This will be, most likely, the last note I write for you. My party has arrived at our facility, and it seems you have already raised an alarm. I know the man you search for, and I know that you hope he can give you an answer. But you will find, soon enough, that there isn't an answer. _

_When you do Mr. Cullen, I will be there. You have run from me for so long, I wonder how you look now. I irk with anticipation, knowing that you and I will be reunited in only a few moments. Please, do not disappoint me. _

_Sincerely, Dacia Gibbons. _


End file.
